Requirements to Open a School in Honduras

The following is the list of requirements set by the Honduran Department of Education that will need to be met before the opening of Christian Life Academy: (Note: I translated this from the original Spanish document.  If things are worded strangely, that would be why.)

1. A solicitude to operate as a school needs to be written by an attorney.

2. A letter of power of attorney, attaching the certificate of authenticity or general power (all legal documents produced by an attorney).

3. Photocopy of the written Constitution of the individual business or organization (with its respective registered board). In this case, it will be a not-for-profit organization called Lighthouse Ministry, which was established by the pastors of the church to be a separate entity from the church.

4. Budget developed for personnel in the official format, describing the teaching, administrative, and service personnel, remembering that the salary for teachers should not be less than 60% of what the government pays, and for service personnel no less than minimum wage.

5. The general schedule for classes at the primary level should be developed according to article 117 of the General Rules for Primary Education, that of preschool using learning centers, and for middle school by day and level according to the curriculum units approved by the Secretary of Education.

6. The building plan should come written, signed, and sealed by a Civil Engineer.

7. If the locale where the Educational Center will function is rented, you should attach to the file the Leasing Contract which should be written according to the Rental Laws and if the locale is owned, you should attach the written deed.

8. The census or registration of the students should be updated annually according to the grade levels solicited.

9. A list of the books in the library should be written by levels and modalities; in the case that the school will be bilingual the list should be written in both English and Spanish.

10. A list of materials and equipment in the laboratories and workshops according to the modalities solicited.

11. A list of teaching materials according to the levels and modalities solicited; the preschool level should be developed according to educational corners (centers).

12. The Internal Regulations should be created using as a model the elementary and middle school Education Regulations, the statutes for teachers, and it is recommended to take into account the Constitution of Honduras and the codes for children and work, remembering that the internal regulations are the norms for the institution.

13. Attach the resumes of the teachers, the individual work contracts, a photocopy of their teaching degrees (primary or secondary, depending on the level solicited), and complete personal documents (union cards, teaching licenses, and identification).

14. The teachers that work at the middle school level should be specialized in the classes that they teach, licensed or working toward licensure, having received more than 60% of the course load for licensure.

a. If the institution is bilingual it should ensure that the teachers have a mastery of the English language as well as a license in their specialized area.

15. An inventory of the furniture per room.

THE FOLLOWING NEEDS TO BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT:

· If the agreement is definite you should attach in the file, the original and working official document to be requested by the teachers’ union.



· When presenting requests that have not been approved by the Secretary of Education, those will be presented to the department of curricular design, to emit the corresponding dictate.

Ministry Plan Part IV - Competitive Analysis

Competitive Analysis

To our knowledge, at this time there is no school like Christian Life Academy.  Other schools in Comayagua that are private and/or bilingual are all either for-profit, or are not-for-profit schools that require complete tuition paid by the families.  The only other schools available to the children are the public schools, which do not provide an adequate education. 

In order to open Christian Life Academy, the requirements set by the Department of Education must be met, documented, and presented at least 6 months prior to the desired opening date.

There are some barriers to entering into the realm of education, but all can be overcome.  First, the costs to develop and continue a school of high quality will require a lot of outside funding.  However, we know that God is the God of all resources, and that He will provide all that is necessary to build and maintain a school of excellence.  There is also a question of security once the school is built and fully outfitted.  There will be a need to hire a reputable security company that will have 24/7 vigilance of the school property and the personnel on site.  Changing technology could be seen as an additional barrier; however, since the majority of Honduras has not entered into the technological race related to education, providing a basic computer lab with internet access should be sufficient to provide students with the level of technology needed to be successful in the Honduran marketplace.  A final barrier to providing the students with the best possible education is the lack of quality Honduran teachers.  Most licensed Honduran teachers have not received preparation in the best practices for education.  This barrier can be overcome with consistent training provided by the administration both before the actual opening of the school, and throughout the school year.  All teachers should receive training in the current best practices in education each year.

Ministry Plan Part III - Target Market

Target Market

We understand that it is impossible to help every child in Honduras.  We want our classes to be a manageable size, which will allow the students that we enroll to receive the best education possible.  Utilizing the research on student to teacher ratio, the idea would be to enroll no more than 40 children per grade level, with no more than 20 children per class.  To begin, there would be two morning and afternoon preschool classes, each containing ten children and one teacher.  The following year, the classes would be combined to create two kindergarten classes, with 20 children in each class.  Those classes would continue year to year, with a new group of 40 students being added each year.

Distinguishing Characteristics

The critical needs of the children to be enrolled include food, clothing, and the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The children that will attend Christian Life Academy come from families where these basic needs are not always being met.  The children live in impoverished communities, where their basic shelter consists of a block house consisting of no more than one or two rooms with a dirt floor, and some have neither running water nor electricity.  Most cook over a fire, and their meals consist of rice, beans, and tortillas.  Although there are families like this all over Comayagua, those living within a 30 minute walking distance of the school will be the target population.  One thing that may impact the attendance of the children as they get older is coffee-picking season.  Some families send their older boys to the mountains to pick coffee from January through March.  Before that time arrives, it will be the school’s priority to educate the families on the importance of education and not allow the children to miss 1-3 months of school.  Although this may be a challenge, it is one that can be overcome through prayer and parent education.

Pricing Targets

As previously mentioned, families will need to contribute a part of the school costs.  Experience has shown that when a family does not take partial responsibility for the education of their children, two things begin to happen.  First, an attitude of entitlement starts to develop, clouding judgment and understanding of the benefits that are being received.  Second, a lack of economic participation leads to a lack of actual participation that translates into absences, incomplete assignments, and less parental support of teachers and staff.  The economic participation of the families will be a standard amount of approximately $4 per month, since it would be impossible to monitor the monthly income of the family.  If the family claims that it is unable to pay the $4 fee, a parent may work 4 service hours during the month at the school to cover the “cost” required.  Service hours may include janitorial service, child supervision, service in the kitchen or cafeteria, grounds keeping, or whatever the administration deems are its most urgent needs.  The students would then be fully provided with everything needed for their academic studies, including uniforms, school supplies, books, and food that would include breakfast, lunch and at least one snack per day.

Ministry Plan Part II - Market Analysis

Market Analysis

Education in Comayagua: Description and Outlook

“Honduras has the most backward educational system in Central America”

(www.globalexchange.org - Date of Publication: 6/20/04)

Comayagua is located approximately an hour and a half north of the capital city of Tegucigalpa.  It is considered one of the poorest cities in Latin America, with approximately two-thirds of its population living below the poverty line and close to half living in extreme poverty.  As a third world country, the Honduran government does not have the financial resources to provide a quality education for its citizens.  As of May 2013, the Honduran National Institute of Statistics reports that 14.5% of those who are 15 years and older do not know how to read or write.  In that same report, they found that 35.2% of children attend preschool and kindergarten, 92.3% attend primary school, 41.7% attend middle school, and only 27.1% attend high school.  According to the Human Development Report 2009, approximately 40% of the Honduran population has finished primary school. United Nations statistics indicate that about 32 out of every 100 students finish primary school without repeating grades. Data from the Program for the Development of the Organization of the United Nations (PNUD) reveal that students finish primary school “in an average of 9.4 years, and that the number of dropouts increases each year. The acutest problem is that the basic educational system only covers 86.5% of school-age children, while the remaining 13.5% cannot get access to an education.” (www.globalexchange.org, accessed July 17, 2015).

Another major problem facing the education system is the treatment of teachers by the Honduran government.  Teachers are assigned to the public schools by the Department of Education.  Most teachers have very poor training, although they are now required to have a degree in education from the Pedagogical (Teacher Training) University.  They are also poorly paid, sometimes not receiving their salary for several months at a time.  At the same time, there is little supervision of the teachers’ attendance, so there are many days that the students arrive to class, only to find the teacher did not show up that day.  No reason is given, and no substitute provided.  Teachers often miss class for health reasons, family problems, district meetings, errands they need to run, or worse, to participate in political protests against the current government, regardless of which political party is in power.  Most teachers are very active politically, and share their political views in class with their students.

It has been through the efforts and resources of foreign missionaries and countries that the education in Honduras is slowly beginning to improve.  Several bilingual schools have been established to provide a private alternative to the failing public schools.  These private schools, however, are only an option for those families with financial means.  Foreign countries such as Japan and the U.S. have made donations of computers and other resources to help bring the public schools into the 21^st century.  However, the number and scope of the schools which have received these resources are limited compared to the number of public schools throughout the country.  

Ministry Plan Part I - School Description (recap)

Once I completed my time as Director of the Compassion International program, I turned my focus completely on preparations for the school.  From July through October of last year, I researched all the elements needed to start a school in Honduras, and then wrote a ministry plan detailing all the different aspects.  In this next series of blog posts, I will share the plan that I wrote.  There will be parts that repeat posts I have already shared, especially at the beginning when I give the school description.  However, I hope the rest will help people have confidence that I have indeed done the research needed to start the school, and have thought through every detail.  Please feel free to contact me with any specific questions you may have about the school plan as you read through these posts.

SCHOOL DESCRIPTION

Christian Life Academy is designed to provide Honduran children from low- and no-income families, the opportunity to receive a quality, Christ-centered, bilingual education.  With a good bilingual education, students will develop the skills needed to fulfill God’s calling on their lives, and they have the potential to earn a salary that is almost double what a non-bilingual person would receive.  This will allow the children to eventually leave the cycle of poverty and begin to change the economic climate of their communities.

Unfortunately, the education system in Honduras is greatly lacking.  Public education is considered a right for all citizens; however families have to pay for uniforms, school supplies, and sometimes a monthly fee for the guard at the school.  When families do not have the funds to cover these expenses, they either do not enroll their children in school, or else the children are expelled for not meeting the school requirements.  Within the schools, there are often 60-80 children per teacher.  In some schools, there are only two teachers for grades 1-6.  There are not enough desks and chairs, so children sit on the floor or in the windows.  There are also no books, so students are required to purchase those as well, or make copies of the books from someone who did purchase them.

The quality of education in the public schools is also poor.  Teachers often use antiquated methods of memorization, copying pages from books, and cut and paste activities to “teach” the children.  Higher level thinking skills, analysis, and problem solving are not taught, thus creating adults who also lack these skills. 

Christian Life Academy will meet the educational and spiritual needs of the children who attend.  All classes will have a Biblical focus, and Christian principles will be taught throughout the day.  The curriculum will be a high-quality, research-based program, teaching children to think analytically and apply what they are learning to their daily lives.  For a minimal fee, students will be provided their uniforms, school supplies, and books.  No child in need will be denied services as long as their family contributes to the extent they are able.  Those families who are unable to contribute financially would be given opportunities to serve in the school. 

The children who will be invited to attend Christian Life Academy are those who live within a 30 minute walking distance from the school, and are from low or no-income families.  The focus of the school is on children who do not have the means to attend a private school, so those who do have the means will not be accepted at the Academy.

Christian Life Academy will have several advantages that will make it a success.  First and foremost, it was conceived as a vision given from the Lord, both to the one who received the initial desire to start the school, and to the Pastors of Christian Life Church in Comayagua, Honduras.  The Lord brought them together through a divine connection, and has continually spoken to both parties that He will be the one who completes the work which He has begun.  The school will be located about half a mile from the Christian Life Church, allowing strong connections between the church and school.  The Christian Life Church also participates in the Compassion International program.  The families enrolled in this program have already been identified as families in need, and would thus be pre-approved to enroll their children in the school.  The families live in the surrounding communities, where there is much economic need.  Christian Life Academy has the potential to transform these poor communities through the superior academic formation the children would receive there.

Christian Life Academy also commits to hiring only those teachers who are committed to Christ, have proper formal training as educators, and have a desire to serve Christ through their gift of teaching.  Missionary teachers from the U.S. will be invited to serve at the school, as will licensed, Christian Honduran teachers.  The additional personnel will include Christian Life Church members, as well as other Christian employees who are active in their local evangelical churches.  Teachers will participate in ongoing training seminars, to ensure they are always using best practices in their classrooms.  The Administration will be responsible for ensuring efficient operations, including on-time class schedules, close supervision of all children at all times, and a mature, responsible handling of the gospel both in and outside the classroom.  All personnel will be held to the highest Christian standards of conduct both on school grounds and in their personal lives.  They are to be constant examples of Christian leaders to the children and the communities in which they live and serve.  Thus, the children and their families will witness Christian values and learn to live by them.

The purpose of Christian Life Academy is to transform lives through a solid education and the gospel of Jesus Christ.  It will be a positive step in transforming not only the lives of the children who attend, but the entire community of Comayagua, and eventually, the country of Honduras.

A Brief Description

After spending 10 years in Honduras, I have seen the effects that the Honduran public education system has had on the country as a whole, as well as many adults' inability to critically think, analyze, and problem solve.  I have also seen the opposite - how a solid, bilingual education can help young adults get jobs and become independent adults, contributing to the improvement of the country.

I can see how my past experiences, as a teacher, as a principal of a bilingual school in Honduras, and as Director of the Compassion International program, have prepared me for where the Lord is leading now.  After seeing the drastic differences between a public school education and private bilingual education in Honduras, the Lord has given me a vision to start a school that would provide a quality, bilingual education for children from low- and no-income families.

The purpose of Christian Life Academy is to transform lives through a solid, bilingual education and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

What are some of the benefits?

• Christian Life Academy is designed to help students develop the skills needed to fulfill God’s calling on their lives, and give them the potential to earn a salary that is almost double what a non-bilingual person would receive.  Having a bilingual education will open the doors to many more job opportunities.  Current jobs available to bilingual Hondurans include teachers, translators, coordinators for organizations, human resource managers, accountants, call center employees, tutors, plant engineers, supply chain managers, customer service agents, commercial managers, and tourism jobs including restaurants, hotels, airlines, cruise lines, tour guides, and nature guides.  Jobs for bilingual Hondurans have the potential to pay $10-14 per hour, when most jobs in Honduras pay less than $5 per hour.

• Christian Life Academy will meet the spiritual and educational needs of the children who attend. All classes will have a Biblical focus, and Christian principles will be taught throughout the day.  

• Children will be taught to think analytically and apply what they are learning to their daily lives. 
  

• The majority of the families that will be invited to participate in Christian Life Academy have incomes less than $50 per month. Many live in adobe brick homes with dirt floors.  Some even live without electricity and/or running water. At Christian Life Academy, students will be provided their uniforms, school supplies, books, and one or two meals per day. No child in need will be denied services as long as their family contributes to the extent they are able, either through a small financial contribution or service to the school.  It is important for the families to be invested in some way in the education of their children.

•          Christian Life Academy will have a teaching staff devoted to excellence.  Teachers will receive training in best practices, and volunteer U.S. teachers will bring fluency in the English language as well as their own training and experience.         

         If you are a parent, you know what it is like to want the best education for your child, because you know the opportunities your child will have as an adult.  You can make that dream a reality for Honduran parents as well.  Most Honduran parents do not have the means to demand a better education for their children.  Most did not receive a good education themselves, which is the reason they are in their current situation of poverty.  However, like any other parent, they want the best for their children.

         

         By partnering with us, you can help these parents have hope.  Through your gifts we can give kids nutritious meals to boost their learning ability, qualified, well-prepared teachers, and a loving, positive, Christian environment.  The children attending Christian Life Academy will develop the tools they need to overcome their current circumstances and get out of poverty.

If

Is a School Really Needed? Public Schools in Honduras

My time as Director of the Compassion International program really gave me the ability to see the stark differences between the public schools and the bilingual school at the WGO ranch.  What did I learn?  In the Honduran public schools, a teacher can have as many as 60-80 children per classroom.  Especially in the rural schools, there may be only one teacher with 3-6 grades.  The students are required to pay for their uniforms, school supplies, and books.  Although Honduran law requires education for all children, many families cannot afford to send all their children.  They may send one or two children to school, and the others stay home.  Or, they may send children to school for a couple of years to learn some basics, and then when the next child reaches the age to enter 1st grade, the older child drops out so the younger can then attend.

It is not uncommon for school to be canceled without notice.  If a teacher is absent due to sickness or a meeting, the children do not know school is canceled until they arrive.  Many times the teachers will get a phone call the night before a meeting, letting them know they have to report to the district meeting the next day instead of class.  If one teacher is absent but the students have other teachers during the day, there is no substitute.  The students remain unsupervised during that class period until it is time to go to the next class.  Many times the teachers will not show up because they are involved in a strike, fighting to get their overdue paychecks because the government failed to pay them.

Student absences are not reported, either.  I know of one situation in which a youth's caregivers were at the school one day and the teacher mentioned that the student had not been at school for two weeks.  The caregivers had no idea, because the school never notified them.  They believed the youth had been at school the whole time, and had no idea where the child was or what he was doing.

Besides the problems with class size and poor attendance, the teachers use antiquated teaching methods.  Classwork typically consists of the students copying pages from a textbook into their notebook.  The homework is to then memorize paragraphs from the pages that they copied in class, or write a "summary," (which really ended up being re-copying the paragraphs with the most important information.)  Another typical homework assignment is to make an "album."  This was the assignment that most kids at the Compassion site needed assistance with because of their lack of access to the internet.  The teacher will assign a topic that the students have to "research" on the internet.  The student finds the information, prints it, then cuts and pastes the exact information onto a piece of white bond paper.  They then have to find, print, cut, and paste 4-5 pictures to go with the information.  Most of the time the students do not even read the paragraph of information, and the homework is graded on the neatness of how it looks.  After helping a Compassion child get their information for the assignment, I would ask what they learned from the information.  Almost every time the child would just shrug his/her shoulders, and have no idea what the information stated.

Teachers will assign Kindergartners and First Graders hours and hours of homework.  Typically they are required to draw figures on a page that supposedly helps with handwriting.  However, these little kids will have to complete 5-10 pages per night in these books, or be assigned 30-50 pages due by the end of the week.

Another issue I saw was that the students are only allowed to complete math problems one way.  I can't tell you how many times I would be tutoring a child, and show them a shortcut for doing a math problem.  The student would master it, but when they turned their work in, the teacher would mark the problems wrong, even though the answers were correct, because he/she didn't understand how the student got the answer, and it wasn't done in the exact steps shown in the textbook.

In order to do the homework the students needed to have the books, but they could not afford them.  So, they would find a friend who had the book, or each friend would buy just one book in one subject area, then the others would photocopy the pages they needed at the local copy shop, because they could get copies at about 5 cents per page.  It was easier for them to get 5 cents every day then pay $10-$20 per book all at once.

When I have visited public schools, what I have found every single time is pure chaos.  The teacher will be ignoring kids who are horsing around, and sometimes fighting, while attending to a few at her desk.  Recess at the public schools are completely unsupervised.  Kids are running around everywhere, with adults no where to be found.  Some students leave the building to go to the local pulperia, or house store, to buy snacks and sodas, without anyone knowing they have left and if they will come back.

I had one youth at the Compassion program who uses a wheelchair.  She had been rejected from registering at her local school.  When I went with her to confront the principal about it, he said that there was no room for her because the classes were already spilling out the door, and he did not have staff to assist her, even though we told him several times that she did not need assistance.  After I argued with the principal about the law and her right to attend, he simply shrugged his shoulders, said there was nothing he could do, and she had to go to a private school for youth with disabilities, assisted by the Compassion program.

That is what is called education in the public schools of Honduras.

Now I will say that there are private schools in Honduras, some of which are excellent.  However, in order to attend, the family has to have enough money to pay the monthly tuition.  The families that I am targeting could never afford to send their children to private school.  Thus, the need for a different solution - Christian Life Academy.