Amid a rise in COVID-19 cases in Bolivia, a group of Aymara students on bicycles arrived at their school from Jess de Machaca wearing paper protective suits, hats, and face masks to attend in-person classes for the start of the 2021 school year.
Bolivia shuttered its schooling system last August as it couldn't guarantee equal access to online education to all, especially those in impoverished rural areas without devices and internet access. Despite high infection rates, the Bolivian government announced the resumption of classes this week in in-person, online, or blended formats, contingent on conditions in each region.
Residents of Jancohaqui Tana school on the outskirts west of La Paz, including Indigenous authorities and parents of students, opted for innovative measures, such as sending their kids to in-person classes in custom biosecurity suits. Most Bolivian regions selected online schooling.
"I always take precautions when sending my son to learn to avoid infections," says Sonia Huanca, age 48. "We stay away from the city because we live far from here, to prevent COVID-19 transmission."
Jess de Machaca is a small town of milk producers and farmers, with one teacher teaching students in the same classroom of all grades at the school. "I purchased those smartphones, but they are not viable here because of poor signal strength," says Manuel Layme, a teacher at the Jancohaqui Tana school for two years. "In-person classes are the only solution in this case."
Besides in-person teaching, Bolivia offers classes via television, radio, and digital platforms.
Layme is happy with the program and vows not to leave Jess de Machaca and visit the city on his days off, shaking off the brand paper protective suit he wears with a smile on his face.