Deep in the rural region of La Huasteca along the Gulf of Mexico, eight-year-old Carolina resides in an indigenous community where ramshackle bungalows are scattered amidst lush vegetation and livestock. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has deprived her of almost a year of formal education.
In March 2020, Mexico’s federal government ordered schools to close as COVID-19 cases surpassed 1,000. As infections spiked, communities like Carolina’s faced prolonged closures and limited access to remote learning.
Without school, Carolina’s days are filled with household chores and caring for chickens and pigs alongside her mother, Dominga. The shift from student to caretaker underscores the pandemic’s impact on children’s education in rural areas.
In August, the government launched televised classes for 30 million students, recognizing that internet access is inconsistent across the country. However, this solution failed to reach many in rural and indigenous communities. In 2019, only 56% of Mexican households had internet access, and while 92.5% had televisions, this still left millions without the means to participate in remote learning.
Carolina’s family is among those without a television. Her school in the nearby town of Aquismón found that less than half of its students could access televised classes. As a result, teachers resorted to handing out worksheets every Monday, with students like Carolina walking two kilometers weekly to receive feedback and new assignments.
“The teacher said we should find a TV, but how are we going to get one if no one lends it to us to do the homework?” Dominga lamented. She, like many parents in the community, worries about her child’s educational future. With limited Spanish proficiency and only speaking the local Huasteco language until recently, she feels ill-equipped to support Carolina’s learning at home.
The situation in La Huasteca highlights the broader challenges faced by rural and indigenous communities during the pandemic. The lack of access to technology exacerbates educational inequalities, potentially setting back a generation of students.
Reference(s):
A generation set back: Children in rural Mexico lag behind in pandemic
cgtn.com
