Photo by Susan Lavado, © RET International

Article by Susan Lavado, Communications Officer for RET in Peru

LIMA, PERU – In Peru, ensuring that children and adolescents remain in school and complete their educational career is one of the main challenges of the education system. In response to this reality, RET, through the Multi-Year Resilience Program “Learning without Barriers”,financed by Education Cannot Wait (ECW), has been supporting the pilot of the Ministry of Education’s (MINEDU) CRECER strategy through the delivery of school materials to students and teachers in the regions of Lima, Ucayali and Loreto.

The CRECER strategy, approved by Vice-Ministerial Resolution No. 015 – 2026 – MINEDU, emerges as an innovative response to serve students with school laps and overage; that is, when a student is two or more years above the expected normative age to study a specific grade due to interruptions in their educational trajectory, access difficulties,  repetition or other conditions of vulnerability. Through a pedagogical proposal to accelerate learning, the strategy allows students to develop the competencies corresponding to two grades in a single school year, thus facilitating their learning recovery, reducing the risk of dropping out of school and, subsequently, facilitating their incorporation into the regular education system.

Photo by Susan Lavado, © RET International

In addition to recovering learning, CRECER seeks to strengthen students’ self-esteem, motivation, and sense of belonging to the education system, providing them with new opportunities to continue their studies under more equitable conditions. The strategy contemplates the implementation of a pilot with active methodologies, specialized materials and the permanent accompaniment of teachers trained to respond to the specific needs of this population.

Within the framework of this intervention, RET delivered around 100 school kits to students in Lima, Ucayali and Loreto, providing essential tools for their active participation in the learning processes within the so-called “CRECER Classrooms”.

Likewise, the teachers in charge of these spaces received educational materials aimed at strengthening the development of their learning sessions, promoting more dynamic educational experiences and favoring the development of competencies in students who require academic leveling processes.

Thanks to this support, 7 CRECER Classrooms in three regions of Peru will continue to implement the pilot of the strategy promoted by MINEDU, helping more students to strengthen their learning and complete their educational trajectories. 

Photos by Susan Lavado, © RET International

About the Multi-Year Resilience Program “Learning without Barriers”

“Learning without Barriers” is funded by Education Cannot Wait (ECW) and implemented by RET, in partnership with ASOVENTRU, Plan International and UNESCO Peru; with the aim that refugee, migrant and host community  children and adolescents exercise their right to an inclusive, safe and quality education.

The programme frames its activities in three outcomes: 

1. Improving access, retention, and completion of learning pathways for refugee, migrant, and host community children and adolescents. 
2. Educational institutions recognized as inclusive, welcoming, and safe spaces that promote the social and emotional skills and well-being of refugee, migrant, and host community children and adolescents. 
3. Refugee, migrant and host community adolescents strengthen knowledge and skills for their empowerment and active participation in the design and development of their life projects. 

The program’s actions are developed in close coordination with the education sector, such as the Regional Directorate of Metropolitan Lima, the Regional Education Management in La Libertad, and in coordination with the UGEL focused on the implementation areas: UGEL 02, UGEL 04 and UGEL 05 in Metropolitan Lima; and the UGEL 02 – La Esperanza and the UGEL 03 – Trujillo Noroeste, in La Libertad. 

Through the strengthening of the capacities of educational actors, the accompaniment of educational institutions, the promotion of protective environments and access to resources and learning opportunities, the program contributes to improving access, permanence and completion of educational trajectories. The goal by 2027 is to benefit more than 50 thousand children, adolescents; including teachers and members of the educational community in different regions of the country, strengthening the resilience of the education system and promoting learning opportunities for those who face greater barriers to exercising their right to education.

The Multi-Year Resilience Program “Aprender Sin Barreras” is funded by Education Cannot Wait (ECW), led by RET, in partnership with ASOVENTRU, PLAN International and UNESCO Peru.

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