Entrepreneurs for Education (ExE) is a civil association that since 2017 has contributed to improving public education in Peru, through the articulation of efforts from the private and public sectors and civil society organizations. It was born as an initiative of CONFIEP, the largest Peruvian business association, to contribute to raising the quality of public education in Peru. Today it is part of Reduca, the Latin American Network of Civil Society Organizations for Education.
“We have accumulated a lot of experience doing programs in remote areas of the country, developing programs in Cerro de Pasco, Arequipa, Lambayeque, Ica, Huancavelica and others,” says Marcela Benavides, President of Entrepreneurs for Education (ExE), who also highlights that they have with a free virtual training program for teachers called “ExE Teachers”.
Lines of action
The president of ExE points out that they develop three lines of action, the first refers to digital education for teacher training and the community with parents. The second line is focused on socio-emotional skills, to help teachers to adequately handle the issue of emotions in their students, so that students feel calm in a safer environment and learn better, especially after the pandemic. .
The third line is properly to help teachers in everything that is to improve the quality of reading, writing, mathematics and science classes. “These are long-term programs, of two, three and five years, because in education the programs have to be in-depth to generate a change and a lasting impact”, she emphasizes.
ExE measures the progress of its programs in the results that are being obtained in the performance achieved by the students. Likewise, ExE invites the private sector that wants to support the communities, to join efforts, because Entrepreneurs for Education already has the programs ready to be applied.
challenges
Marcela Benavides points out that the socio-emotional program grew a lot as a result of the pandemic “because the directors asked us to handle the grief, the uncertainty with the students.”
She refers that 75% of the public educational institutions in Peru need some type of reconstruction, support and improvement. “A challenge is to approach the public sector to see how we make the use of the resources that the State itself has more efficient,” says Benavides.
ExE seeks – before the private sector – to raise awareness that we all have to be committed to education. “By showing results we can support education, our teachers who also feel supported in their work,” said the president of Empresarios por la Educación.
