One of the most striking features of schools available to the poor in Guatemala, especially the grade schools, is the pervasive absence of textbooks. More importantly, teachers tend to be poorly prepared, always poorly paid, and frequently absent without a substitute. While some middle and high schools now have computers; very few have a library and in those that do, the collection consists largely of old text books; science labs are rare and have little equipment; cafeterias, audio-visual equipment, a nurse’s station, faculty offices, an athletic program, lockers, or a gym are virtually unknown. There are few, if any, enrichment programs like band, orchestra, glee club, debate society, Spanish club, science fair, art club, etc. When a teacher is absent, students frequently wander around, inside the building and out, playing games, talking, and listening to music. The volume of ambient sound is such that a teacher might have to shout to be heard. English teachers seldom have any fluency in the language and frequently have never studied it.

As a result of these and other impediments, many students cannot multiply, spell or punctuate a sentence, locate anything on a map, or tell you the significance of dates except the date of independence. Much of the population is illiterate. Pre-school children are never read to; adults themselves, even if they can read, seldom do, and never read a book. One cannot expect to find a book in a house made of boards, tin, mud, or corn stalks. That there might be some value in reading, even if only reading for pleasure, has apparently never crossed anyone’s mind.

The average illiteracy rate for indigenous women exceeds fifty percent and the school dropout rate for girls in rural areas is higher than eighty percent. Only seventeen of every 100 girls complete sixth grade, and in the countryside nearly seventy percent drop out before completing third grade.