- Networks and projects strengthen indigenous intercultural education in Latin America.
- Challenges persist, such as teacher training and the appreciation of indigenous languages.
- Initiatives in Chile, Peru, and Mexico demonstrate achievements and obstacles in inclusive education.
- The educational community demands effective policies and resources to guarantee cultural diversity.
Intercultural education It has established itself as a leading issue in Latin America, playing a key role in ensuring that educational systems include, respect, and strengthen the cultural and linguistic identities of indigenous peoples. Far from being a simple curricular addition, intercultural education seeks to transform schools into real spaces for encounter, dialogue, and teaching from diverse worldviews, knowledge, and languages.
During the last years, initiatives of teachers, communities, administrations and social networks They have promoted pioneering experiences in different countries, addressing structural obstacles and proposing new approaches to bring cultural diversity to the center of learning. The challenges remain enormous, but the achievements and shared lessons pave the way toward a truly transformative, inclusive school that reflects the multicultural reality of Latin America.
Advances and challenges in Amazonian intercultural education: the case of REIBA
La Amazonian Bilingual Intercultural Education Network (REIBA) The network recently celebrated its fifth anniversary, establishing itself as one of the main regional efforts to defend and strengthen the education of the indigenous peoples of the Amazon. Emerging from the Synod for the Amazon and with the support of the Amazonian Ecclesial Conference, this network represents the collective response to the need for an education based on intercultural dialogue and the appreciation of indigenous languages and knowledge.
REIBA has brought together indigenous communities, teachers, leaders and pastoral workers of six Amazonian countries, generating collaborative spaces where previously only scattered initiatives existed. Among its main achievements are the training of indigenous teachers, the creation of contextualized pedagogical materials—such as indigenous calendars and collections of songs, stories, and oral knowledge—and the promotion of an inculturated liturgy that reinforces the cultural identity of peoples.
One of the network's greatest contributions has been to maintain a focus on the autonomy and dignity of Indigenous education. Its president, Monsignor David Martínez de Aguirre, has emphasized the urgency of offering real alternatives to the pressure to abandon one's own language or culture for the sake of integration into the Western world. Strengthening roots without giving up global tools This is the path that REIBA proposes.
Challenges remain: large gaps remain to be closed, from teacher training to the development of adapted materials, including the need for resources and commitment. REIBA's experience demonstrates that bilingual intercultural education is possible and necessary for living in freedom, dignity, and respect for diversity.
Community initiatives for linguistic revitalization: Mapuche kindergartens in Chile
In southern Chile, the revitalization of Mapudungun —a Mapuche language—has found in early childhood education a fertile space for rebirth. In the Araucanía region, two kindergartens pioneers have implemented the total immersion in Mapudungun as a method to encourage natural language learning, in contrast to the traditional model that offers only a few hours per week.
The experiences of gardens such as Txempeyem Mapuzugun mew in Temuco and Mapuzugun ñi Choyun In Puerto Saavedra they have shown that, If an educational environment is created exclusively in the Mapuche language, children learn and express themselves naturally, beginning to use the language outside of school. ñañas —educators and native speakers—play a fundamental role, not only teaching vocabulary, but also transmitting the kimün (Mapuche knowledge), integrating linguistic learning with life and territory.
Despite the enthusiasm of families and the initial positive results, financial and administrative challenges remain. The projects depend heavily on parental support and limited contributions from institutions such as CONADI. Also the continuity of education in the Mapuche language beyond the preschool level It requires the State to recognize and support these initiatives, as well as the training of new professionals with language proficiency and modern pedagogy.
This bet demonstrates the importance of guarantee the rights of indigenous children to an education that respects and values their mother tongue, without relegating it to Spanish, which is still pending in several regions.
Diagnosis and challenges in intercultural literacy: the case of Chiapas
The gap in bilingual literacy is one of the great challenges in Chiapas, according to the book Bilingual literacy in Chiapas by researcher Gabriel Ascencio Franco. The lack of real integration of indigenous languages in schools particularly affects indigenous communities, exacerbating educational inequalities.
Traditional policies have privileged Castilianization above literacy in the native language, limiting the academic development of indigenous children. The "subtractive" model replaces indigenous languages with Spanish, rather than promoting additive bilingualism that strengthens both. This results in insufficient materials, poorly prepared teachers, and a disconnect between official discourse and classroom practice.
Stories show that many teachers arrive without speaking the local language and with little training, which forces them to improvise and reduces the quality of education. Teacher turnover and low salaries perpetuate this situation rather than address it. Thus, The school, instead of preserving indigenous languages, contributes to their loss.
Among the proposals, the need to stand out Teach Spanish orally in preschool first and then prioritize literacy in the mother tongue in primary school., provided the resources are available. The big question that remains, for reflection, is how to achieve a balanced system that values both languages and reduces inequalities.
Teacher training, public policies and collaborative experiences
To advance intercultural education, it is essential to strengthen teacher training and improve educational policies. In Chile, the University of La Serena and the Regional Ministry of Education have organized seminars for traditional teachers and teachers from the Coquimbo region, focusing on designing culturally relevant assessments and in integrating original knowledge into teaching.
These sessions combine theory and practice, promoting group work, case analysis, and contextualized strategies. The initiative is supported by the Indigenous Law No. 19.253 and national policies on Intercultural Bilingual Education, with the intention of improving instruments and promoting authentic recognition of cultural diversity in education.
Cristian Blanco, coordinator of the area, emphasizes that these activities reinforce the role of public universities in promoting territorial justice and dialogue between ancestral knowledge and current education. The goal is to move toward a school that not only teaches, but also learns from its environment and community.
