The report pulls together evidence for the something that is often asserted anecdotely: that Mayan females are least likely to enroll or progress through Guatemala's education system if they do enroll. The report looks at the reasons why this should be the case. It's dissapointing that it does not spend more time looking at the reasons for this low enrollment- because here in surely lies at least part of the solution. It does however highlight the following reasons:"Although access to primary education in Guatemala has increased in recent years, particularly in rural areas, levels of educational attainment and literacy remain among the lowest in Latin America. Problems include late entry, grade repetition, and early dropout.
Inequalities in school access and grade attainment linked to ethnicity, gender, poverty, and residence remain. Age trends show that Mayan females are the least likely to ever enroll, and, if they do enroll, to start school the latest and drop out earliest."
Sick/incapacitated, unable to pay monthly fee, housework, work, lack of money, finished studies, not interested, require special school, have to repeat grade, temporary migration, distance/transport, there is no school, school does not offer that grade, age, and other.
According to their results between 39-50% of Mayan females aged 7-12, cited lack of money as the main reason for not going to school. Having worked in this area myself the reasons are a lot more complicated than simply a lack of money. For example, not having a valid birth certificate, lack of parental support, scholarships that end halfway through the pupils education, etc. It will interesting to read the book 'Doubly Disadvantaged Girls' this report is feeding into when it gets published.
