Imagine I am still in Peru - voila! I am writing this very post (and several others to come) in Cusco - amazing!
Anywho. Prior to our arrival to Cusco or even Peru, we had heard of the school, Pukllasunchis (Quechua for "Let's Play"), a bilingual school on the outskirts of Cusco and we were fortunate enough to visit the school during our stay. To call it merely a bilingual school undermines its progressive curriculum and school policy, and naturally I intend to inform you of its mission, et al.
Pukllasunchis began in 1988 under the financial beneficence of a Swiss woman whose name I can neither remember nor find. Over time the school has become increasingly more self-sustaining and the intent is for it to be completely independent financially. It was founded on the principles of social justice and equality, two values that can be seen in its curriculum and student body. The school does not differentiate between trades and academics – both are taught in the school’s interdisciplinary approach. Thus students are found in both the classroom as well as in the fields, tending to native plants and animals. Sex education is also taught at the school – a rare component to a school curriculum in a Catholic country (consequently there are no religion classes or affilitation). Classes are always taught in Spanish, but by the 4th grade they begin to teach Quechua, and 6th grade they start teaching English (I’m not sure if this is required or optional). At Pukllasunchis, students learn to make various things, including traditional medicines, teas, creams, soaps, etc from the plants they harvest and the art of weaving, and these various things are sold at art fairs every two months to help subsidize student tuition.
That said, tuition is based on a sliding scale; of the 750 students (ages 6-17), 20% pay no tuition, and the cap is at 280 soles (a little over $90) per student per month. The school attempts to enroll a diverse student body made up of students from a range of racial and social backgrounds – about 20% come from outside sectors of Cusco (which I believe means rural areas). Considering the desirability of attending the school, it comes as no surprise that students and their families must interview for a spot in the school. The student to teacher ratio is rather impressive as well – there are 50 full-time professors and 50 part-time professors.
The new facilities were built 5 years ago on their 2 hectares of acquired land. I was surprised to hear the design process, as it was the students who first were consulted regarding what they wanted, then the parents, and lastly the professors – all of whose input were given to architects to synthesize and develop. Following the school’s philosophy, sustainable methods to operate the building complex and help teach the students about living in a sustainable manner.
I’m sure the school is far from perfect (there were some murmurs of it losing its strong sentiments of social equality), but during our visit it was hard to see it in any other manner. The students were happy and there didn’t seem to be any animosity towards one another. In fact, the students seemed to be enthusiastic about attending school – something I don’t see much here in the States.
School building and recreational area
agricultural sector
UW and Pukllasunchis students playing soccer
Anywho. Prior to our arrival to Cusco or even Peru, we had heard of the school, Pukllasunchis (Quechua for "Let's Play"), a bilingual school on the outskirts of Cusco and we were fortunate enough to visit the school during our stay. To call it merely a bilingual school undermines its progressive curriculum and school policy, and naturally I intend to inform you of its mission, et al.
Pukllasunchis began in 1988 under the financial beneficence of a Swiss woman whose name I can neither remember nor find. Over time the school has become increasingly more self-sustaining and the intent is for it to be completely independent financially. It was founded on the principles of social justice and equality, two values that can be seen in its curriculum and student body. The school does not differentiate between trades and academics – both are taught in the school’s interdisciplinary approach. Thus students are found in both the classroom as well as in the fields, tending to native plants and animals. Sex education is also taught at the school – a rare component to a school curriculum in a Catholic country (consequently there are no religion classes or affilitation). Classes are always taught in Spanish, but by the 4th grade they begin to teach Quechua, and 6th grade they start teaching English (I’m not sure if this is required or optional). At Pukllasunchis, students learn to make various things, including traditional medicines, teas, creams, soaps, etc from the plants they harvest and the art of weaving, and these various things are sold at art fairs every two months to help subsidize student tuition.
That said, tuition is based on a sliding scale; of the 750 students (ages 6-17), 20% pay no tuition, and the cap is at 280 soles (a little over $90) per student per month. The school attempts to enroll a diverse student body made up of students from a range of racial and social backgrounds – about 20% come from outside sectors of Cusco (which I believe means rural areas). Considering the desirability of attending the school, it comes as no surprise that students and their families must interview for a spot in the school. The student to teacher ratio is rather impressive as well – there are 50 full-time professors and 50 part-time professors.
The new facilities were built 5 years ago on their 2 hectares of acquired land. I was surprised to hear the design process, as it was the students who first were consulted regarding what they wanted, then the parents, and lastly the professors – all of whose input were given to architects to synthesize and develop. Following the school’s philosophy, sustainable methods to operate the building complex and help teach the students about living in a sustainable manner.
I’m sure the school is far from perfect (there were some murmurs of it losing its strong sentiments of social equality), but during our visit it was hard to see it in any other manner. The students were happy and there didn’t seem to be any animosity towards one another. In fact, the students seemed to be enthusiastic about attending school – something I don’t see much here in the States.
School building and recreational area
agricultural sector
UW and Pukllasunchis students playing soccer
1 comment:
Thanks for your quality and creative post.
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