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As a result of the efforts of INDESGUA to December 31, 2011,
we were able to support 222 students, 217 of whom came from
Guatemala's 22 departments, and the other five from foreign
countries. INDESGUA assisted in the application process,
helped to obtain scholarships and financial aid, both in
educational institutions in Guatemala (85), and abroad (127
in 24 countries and four continents) and on-line
distance programs (10). Of these students, 115 were males
and 107 females; 171 Ladinos, 47 indigenous students, two of
African descent and two of Chinese descent. The degree
programs enrolling these students are as follows: 11
technical programs, 102 undergraduate programs, 60 Master’s
programs, and two doctoral programs.
The students we have assisted are studying in, or have
graduated from, universities in the following countries:
Germany, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bolivia, Brazil,
Canada, Chile, Colombia, Korea, Costa Rica, Cuba, Spain,
United States, France, Guatemala, Holland, Honduras,
England, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Sweden and Taiwan.
Although our actions have been prioritizing Guatemalan
students, thanks to the Internet, we have supported young
people from other countries and Guatemalans living abroad,
all to obtain scholarships to study in other countries.
Foreign students include two from Colombia to study in
Israel; one from Nicaragua to study in Guatemala; a
Panamanian to study in Korea; and a student from the
Dominican Republic to study in Spain. Of the Guatemalans
living abroad, one living in Mexico will study in England,
one in Panama will study in Mexico, and one in France will
study in Spain.
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Broad access to post-secondary
education is fundamental for the future development of
Guatemala. While there are opportunities for higher
education offered in national and international universities,
access to these opportunities is only available to a small
portion of Guatemalans. There are many factors that
contribute to this limited access, among them: the continued
social, economic, political and cultural barriers in the
national model of development in Guatemala, economic
limitations, the quality of primary and secondary education,
the tendency to privatize education especially at the middle
level, deficiencies in the institutional orientation systems
aimed at providing information about available careers and
educational choices, complicated prerequisites for
acceptance into programs, and a lack of information about
opportunities to obtain scholarships and financial aid.
INDESGUA is the
initiative of a group of Guatemalan professionals, who
recognize education as a right and have worked
systematically over the past few years to improve access to
higher education for Guatemalan students both inside
Guatemala and abroad. Based on this experience, we have
developed the conviction that we can contribute to the
development of a better Guatemala through increasing the
participation of men and women, young and old, Maya and
non-Maya (all segments of Guatemalan society) in the process
of higher education. By raising their educational levels,
men and women, youths and adults, Mayans and non-Mayans,
will find themselves with better possibilities for
contributing to the construction of a better nation.
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