WOMEN'S EDUCATION IN RURAL ANDEAN SCHOOLS IN PERU: PROBLEMS AND POSSIBILITIES

Abstract

Education is the best way for women to change the various situations of exclusion they have faced for centuries. This academic essay analyzes the different scenarios and aspects surrounding the education of girls and adolescents in rural Andean settings. The work includes an analysis of educational research and the personal experience of one of the authors as a teacher at a rural school in the Huancavelica region (Peru). This article argues that rural education in the Peruvian Andes, specifically in the province of Tayacaja in the department of Huancavelica, faces various challenges related to geographic dispersion, structural and digital divides, and cultural factors such as machismo, which have limited the education of girls and adolescents. However, schools have played a crucial role in integrating women into the education system and ensuring that—despite the difficulties—they do not drop out. To achieve SDG 4, the role of teachers and parents has been fundamental. The article also highlights the potential of rural schools to offer personalized education and the qualities and values possessed by Andean girls and adolescents that enable them to become social leaders in their communities and the country. Access to education for all girls and adolescents in rural areas will drive social transformation toward equal opportunities in the Andean world.