Kichwa peoples from communities in the Upper Tigre valley in Loreto are demanding that the government provide better educational provision for their children. In a meeting on 16 April, representatives from the communities of Doce de Octubre, San Juan de Bartra, Nuevo Arenal and Andrés Avelino Cáceres protested against the announcement that classes would be suspended between 15 May and 11 June for teacher evaluations.

Recent figures published for educational attainment show just how deficient public education is in places like Loreto where interruptions to the annual educational year are commonplace because of prolonged absences on the part of teachers.

The recently-published Evaluación Censal de Estudiantes 2016 shows that only 4% of second-year primary school children attain a satisfactory level of reading and comprehension skills. In fourth-year primary school, the attainment rate for comprehension and mathematics is even lower (3.3% for comprehension and 2.9% for mathematics). In secondary schools in rural areas, less than 1% reach a ‘satisfactory’ grade in the samples surveyed.

For comparative data on educational attainment which put Loreto at the bottom of the league, go to La Republica