Bolivia is proposing unique solutions to the disparity in education access between its urban and rural populations. Late last year President Evo Morales introduced the launch of Bolivia’s first telecommunications satellite, the Tupac Katari. The satellite was launched in order to ensure access to mobile phones for the entire country—but it may have a different use as well. Bolivia plans to use the satellite to broadcast classes taught in La Paz to students in the outlying areas of the country.
Bolivia suffers from some of the lowest school enrollments in all of the Caribbean and Latin America, with a 2011 gross primary school enrollment of 94.5 per cent, compared to an average 112.9 per cent elsewhere in the region. The satellite aims to combat these numbers, as well as a lack of infrastructure that prohibits many students in rural areas from having access to education. The satellite is another step in Bolivia’s efforts to modernize their education, infrastructure and medicine. The Tupac Katari will become operational in April of this year.
Creative Commons Love: Adrian Milliner on Flickr.com
Written by Alex Leedom