Guaraní-language schools press federal government for curriculum funding

Representatives of seven Guaraní-language schools in Tierra Verde submitted a petition to the Federal Ministry of Cultural Affairs last week, asking for an increase in federal funding for bilingual primary education. The schools currently serve 1,240 students across the region, and enrollment has grown 8 percent year-over-year. But the per-pupil federal allocation has remained flat since 2023.

The petition focuses on three needs: curriculum development in Guaraní for mathematics and science subjects, training for teachers in bilingual pedagogy, and replacement of outdated textbooks. The schools say they have cobbled together materials from multiple sources and rely on volunteer effort to adapt them for classroom use. Teachers are burning out, the petition states, because the work of curriculum design falls on their shoulders outside school hours.

Lucía Ramírez, the principal of the Oberá Bilingual School, is one of the petition's signatories. She explained that demand from families for Guaraní-language education has never been stronger. Parents want their children to speak both Spanish and Guaraní fluently, and they see the bilingual schools as the best way to achieve that. But without federal support for materials and training, the schools cannot keep pace with the demand.