Education

Venezuelan vice-president Elias Jaua presented a balance of the government’s achievements and projects in 2009 to the National Assembly on Thursday. Highlights included 949 health projects, construction and renovation of schools, 18 million free books and magazines distributed, and 137,000 people trained in computer literacy.

According to a recently released UNESCO report on education, Venezuela’s number of children enrolled in school has significantly increased over the last 10 years, and its Education for all Development Index (EDI) has also increased considerably. Venezuela’s education minister welcomed the findings but said some of the data was inaccurate as it did not include any of the social missions.

Venezuela improved it's ranking from 62^nd to 58^th in one year, according to the United Nations Human Development Report 2009, which measured life expectancy, access to education, and income in 182 nations worldwide in the year 2007.

Nearly 98% of Venezuela's public schools successfully opened their doors without irregularities on the first day of the school year this Wednesday despite threats of opposition sabotage and boycotts.

There were marches across Venezuela on Saturday, both to support and protest the Education Law, which was passed on 14 August. Thousands marched and celebrated the new law in Caracas, while the opposition protest turned violent after it deviated from its planned route.

The Venezuelan National Assembly passed a controversial new Education Law shortly after midnight on Friday morning, following a twelve hour marathon legislative session and a day of heated street protests both for and against the law.