The Mexican National Union of Education Workers (SNTE), together with UNESCO, has published a ground-breaking guide for teachers to help them excel in the delivery of Indigenous education in the classroom.
In coordination with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Mexican National Union of Education Workers (SNTE) recently produced a new toolkit, "Didactic Strategies: A Guide for Teachers of Indigenous Education”. SNTE is an affiliate of Education International.
The toolkit was launched at a ceremony in the state of Hidalgo, which was attended by the SNTE President Juan Diaz de la Torre, along with Nuria SanzGallego, director of UNESCO’s office in Mexico, and Hidalgo governor Omar Fayad Meneses.
1.2m children to benefit
The Guide seeks to provide strategies and methods so that teachers can best address the challenge of Indigenous education. It equips teachers with tools to create useful didactic materials, according to the cultural and social context in which they perform their work. These tools will also help teachers to facilitate their students to acquire verbal, written and reading skills, all in bilingual and multilingual educational situations. It is expected that this guide will benefit over 1.2 million preschool and primary school children from 62 Indigenous Peoples.
International commitment
Diaz de la Torre said that the new toolkit was the result of the SNTE’s active engagement nationally and internationally. He added that the document was unique because of its content and its anthropological value.
This is reflected in the fact that the guide will be presented to UNESCO’s 195 member countries, according to Sanz Gallego. She stressed the importance of the trade union’s efforts in improving the conditions under which education is delivered in Mexico and beyond. "They are great allies for international cooperation," she added.
You can access the document here.