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Nicaragua's new government to
enforce free education
The new government of Daniel
Ortega, who will take power as
president on Jan. 10 in
Nicaragua, will introduce free
education in the country, said
Miguel De Castilla from Ortega's
Sandinista National Liberation
Front on Tuesday.
"The first thing that the Ortega
government will implement is the
elimination of so-called
voluntary contributions," De
Castilla, an educationalist,
told media at a joint press
conference with outgoing
Education Minister Miguel Angel
Garcia.
De Castilla called on head
teachers to stop asking parents
for money, saying that
"education is not a piece of
merchandise to be bought and
sold. It is a right for
Nicaragua's poor and we are
making sure our Constitution
will be observed."
In 1993, Nicaragua adopted an
education model that forced
teachers to make profits. "This
has seriously distorted
Nicaraguan teachers' roles and
the education system," he said.
Ortega, 60, a Cold War era foe
of the United States, led the
country in 1979 after toppling
military dictator Anastasio
Somoza. He won the presidency in
1984 but lost the next election
and left power in 1990.
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