By Wendy Santizo, Education Program Director, CoDev Canada, and Steve Stewart, Executive Director, CoDev Canada

For over 20 years now, the BCTF has supported Central American teachers’ organizations to develop resources that promote equality, women’s rights, and an inclusive and democratic society.

The program Non-Sexist and Inclusive Pedagogy (NSIP) was first developed by the women’s secretary of the Costa Rican teachers’ union. NSIP encourages the analysis of gender inequity, exclusion, and issues of justice through teacher training and classroom resources.

CoDevelopment Canada, a Vancouver-based NGO that manages many BCTF-supported projects with Latin American teachers, saw the potential in NSIP and assisted Costa Rican teachers to train their colleagues in neighbouring countries to promote the approach. The BCTF has contributed to this effort, sending facilitators to support training. Over time, NSIP expanded its reach to include several Central American countries.

When the pandemic hit, it was clear that existing social and economic inequalities would only be exacerbated. El Salvadoran teachers participating in the NSIP program quickly changed the focus of their work to help students and families cope with the pandemic.

The NSIP program co-ordinators in El Salvador organized focus group discussions with teachers to learn how communities had been affected by the pandemic and what supports were needed. Teachers shared that food insecurity had increased, families were struggling to access clean water for drinking and washing hands, many parents experienced job loss because their work could not be done remotely, and limited access to internet made distance education inaccessible to most teachers and students.

Internet and technology have become integral to adapting teaching, learning, and working for pandemic protocols. In El Salvador, where less than 30% of the population has access to internet and only 18% of people have subscriptions to mobile broadband, the transition to remote learning was not easy.

Teachers used their creativity to work around the barriers they faced. Whatsapp has become a key vehicle for instruction and communication between teachers and students. Parents share their smart phones with their children so teachers can send assignments, lessons, and resources for learning from home.

Despite the creative efforts of teachers, many students still struggle to access remote learning opportunities. One teacher received a message from a student’s father saying, “Please be patient with my daughter. I don’t want her to fail the grade, but between buying data and buying food, I’d rather use the little money I have to put food on the table.”

For families that do not have access to smart phones, teachers drop off learning materials. Schools and the teachers’ association in El Salvador also deliver food hampers, information on COVID-19 and steps to reduce the risk of infection, and local victim services contact information for women and girls experiencing gender-based violence.

With the support of the BCTF, the Women’s Secretariat of the National Association of Salvadoran Educators (ANDES) developed short stories and poems, with accompanying lesson and unit plans, to reflect the experiences of the education community during COVID-19. They created six characters representing different values and strengths: Marta represents self-confidence; Filipe represents empathy; Jose is happiness; Sara for freedom; Ana for peace; and Fernando represents love. The stories, along with follow-up activities, are shared with families over Whatsapp.

This unit contributes to a sense of community and connection amongst students, their families, and teachers, enabling children to better understand the pandemic, overcome their fear, and take concrete measures to stay safe. The unit extends beyond academic learning to include opportunities for play and to build communities of care and support networks.

The pandemic and subsequent lock-down have exacerbated inequality and the vulnerability of Salvadoran public school children. With the support of the BCTF and their own teachers’ association, ANDES 21 de Junio, Salvadoran teachers have extended a lifeline that breaks the isolation and connects students to their schools and to a sense of hope that they will come through these difficult times stronger and safer.