On May 31st, 2019, Abako’s Executive Director, Dr. Lety Banks, and the Secretary of Education of the State of Yucatan, Mexico, Prof. Loreto Villanueva Trujillo, signed an Agreement of Collaboration at the Offices of the Secretariat of Public Education in Merida, Yucatan. Effective immediately, this agreement will allow teachers from Basic Education schools—inicial, preescolar, primaria, secundaria, y bachillerato—to apply for an educational grant for specific academic projects to the Foundation.
In 2018, Abako funded 15 school projects in the State of Yucatan, including 12 from the Centros de Educación Inicial Indígena (CEII in Spanish) in the Tizimín District. The success of those projects prompted Abako to seek a collaboration with the Yucatán Secretariat of Public Education officials (SEGEY, in Spanish) to support school-generated academic projects throughout the State. The bulk of the Foundation’s work has been with schools of modalidad indígena in marginalized communities where poor infrastructure and limited resources make teachers’ work more challenging. “Teachers who work in very small, rural communities deserve our support, and Abako is committed to working with them to improve the learning experience of children, parents, and teachers alike,” said Dr. Banks.
Under the terms of the Agreement, Abako Foundation will visit schools in marginalized communities to support the implementation of funded academic projects and will collaborate with local education officials to promote professional development workshops for teachers. The Secretariat of Public Education, in addition to supporting Abako's school visits, will provide meeting spaces and will carry out meetings and professional development workshops for teachers. Both parties, Abako Foundation and the Yucatán Secretariat of Public Education are committed to improving the quality of education in the State and look forward to the fruits of this collaboration.
The Abako Foundation is a non-profit organization that believes education is a universal right and a public good. For Abako, teachers are a key piece to guarantee a quality education for all children; therefore, Abako is committed to supporting and strengthening the work teachers do in the classroom that facilitates teaching and learning and guarantees a quality education for all children.
