The Escuela Viva II Program in Paraguay (PR-L1017) focused on reducing ongoing gaps in access, retention, and completion of quality basic education in the country, targeting the most vulnerable segments of the population. This was part of a broader program of IDB support to the country’s educational reform and was of critical importance to Paraguay in order to address disparities in both the completion rates of basic education and in learning outcomes. Over the life of the program (from 2011 to 2018), more than 675,000 students from first to ninth grade were benefited through quality improvement activities in three different school environments: 2,700 rural schools, 260 urban-fringe schools, and nearly 300 educational institutions in indigenous areas.

By project completion, sixth grade graduation rates had increased in each of the three school environments. Notably, the graduation rate in the urban-fringe schools reached 80 percent and the rate for educational institutions in indigenous areas increased by 36 percent (to 34 percent). While challenges remain, the advances under this operation were another step forward in the country’s continuing efforts to address educational deficiencies within underserved communities. For more information on results of the program and lessons learned from its implementation, visit the Project Completion Report.