Saturday, 26 August 2017 02:21

Indigenous Center of Education Yalve Sanga

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The "Colegio Indigena Yalva Sanga" (CEIYS) is one of the institutions of the Central Chaco that offers secondary education especially for indigenous young people, but other cultures are also accepted. It is an institution with a dormitory both for boys and one for girls.  The ASCIM sponsors scholarships for these students, this covers about 30% of the cost of the dormitories.  The rest is paid for by parents and their communities.

Vision: a model high school and integral training (for indigenous young people) with a  Christian worldview  in an intercultural setting.

Mission: We have teachers that live the Christian values and are competent and motivated for the work of comprehensive training of the young indigenous people through theory-practical learning, harmonizing their own culture with the national reality.

History:

In 1936  a tribe of peoples called Enlhet started a settlement that today is known as Yalve Sanga. In 1959 the first elementary school was opened and in 1979 the first group of students was taken for 7th grade. At first a system of exchange was used, in that there were two semesters  and the students that took the first semester in 1979 finished  the second semester in 1980. This system was normalized in 1983 when both semesters were given in one school year so that students could finish in one year instead of two. The students also received the possibility to have courses in teacher training, secretary training and mentoring in  the  agronomic area. The basic cycle (middle school or junior high) was opened to the community in answer to the leaders who were yearning for a higher level of education for the indigenous young people and because of a need to elevate the academic level of the indigenous teachers. This need to have better educated personnel was what motivated the leaders of the indigenous community and the ASCIM to look for possibilities of offering a high school education. This wish was fulfilled in the year 1998 when the first class started high school. This first class of 16 students graduated in the year 2000 with the degree "Bachiller de Ciencias y Letras", high school graduate with emphasis in science and languages.

In 2002 there was a Young Reform which brought changes in the curriculum as well as names given for degrees, so that in the year 2004 the group of graduates received the degree "Bachiller Cientifico con Enfasis en Ciencias Sociales", High School graduate with emphasis in Social Sciences.

Parallel to the high school education the Indigenous High School of Yalve Sange also offered a vocational education for the young people. For this branch, the students were able to choose a training of their choice at the beginning of  their 11th school year. In this way they were able to graduate with the degree "Bachiller Cientifico con Enfasis en Ciencias Sociales" plus a basic training which they could use to do work in their communities. This was possible thanks to a system of interchange which the institution implemented and which allowed the students to carry a double school load.

At the end of the 12th grade  in  the program of the  Indigenous Teaching Center the students have an internship of one year, which was a prerequisite given for  the degree "Maestros de Educacion Aldeana", Teacher of a Village School  by the Ministry of Education and Culture, which accredited them for teaching the first cycle of elementary school (grades 1 - 3 ). The courses "Contadores y Secretarios Comunitarios", Community Accountants and Secretaries, Mechanics and Social Communicator were certified by SNPP through the "Centro de Formacion Profesional de Loma Plata" ( Center for Professional Training in Loma Plata) . Since 2009 these trainings have been integrated under the name Comprehensive Training. This center gave them a basic knowledge, though not with   the professional degree, yet with an institutional certificate. This training is specifically for the Yalve Sanga high school and it is adapted to the community life. It is taught alongside the normal academic load; a certain amount of manual skills that can later be developed in their respective communities. These skills are taught in the morning as well as in the afternoon. The young male students are taught technics in mechanics, electricity, etc. while the young female students have courses in cooking, sewing and crafts. The courses in Comprehensive Training are given in the 11th grade.

The Indigenous High School of Yalve Sanga has become an institution of great importance for the indigenous community. Not only does it give students a chance to get an all-round education but above all, trains them to take leadership roles within their communities.

In 2011 this curriculum plan was updated by the Ministry of Education and Sciences (MEC), in an effort to work toward the training of women and men able to act and influence in the making of their own personality.  The goal is that the students become sufficiently mature to relate in a comprehensive way with themselves, in solidarity  with others, nature and with God, able to consider the present and the future of a society to which they belong and in the principles and values it is founded. Additionally, the personal development includes leadership, independence, the making of a certain lifestyle, and the skill to  work out a project for the personal and professional life.

FIDA          FRICC          UTA          AMH Grupo de Cajas Ascim          FTC          IMO          MCC

Location:
Yalve Sanga (Central office)
 
PO Box:
ASCIM
Filadelfia, 40
9300 Fernheim
Paraguay
 
Contact:
Tel. 0491 432231
Cel. 0981 484 975
Email: info@ascim.org
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