Let's Go to School! brings 37,000 children back to the classroom and learning

ASUNCIÓN, 2 December 2025. More than 37,000 children returned to school and are learning thanks to the Let's Go to School! initiative, led by the Ministry of Education and Science (MEC), in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Qatar’s Education Above All (EAA) Foundation, with the support of Alda Foundation and Global Childhood.  

As a result of these efforts, Let’s Go to School! —implemented in 300 schools, 18 of them in Indigenous communities, across the departments of Central, Itapúa, Alto Paraná, Caaguazú, Concepción, and San Pedro since 2022— surpassed its initial goal of enabling 30,000 children and adolescents to return to school and learn. 

In addition to enrolling children, the program implemented the Learning Recovery Spaces (ERA), a flexible pedagogical proposal designed to reinforce key learning areas. Through this strategy, targeted support in literacy and mathematics was provided to 37,208 students over three years. The first sample of learning assessments shows very positive results, with clear improvements in reading comprehension and mathematics. These results demonstrate not only the impact of ERA spaces, but also their potential to contribute to learning recovery at the national level. 

Throughout the project, a total of 1,873 teachers and school technicians were trained in the ERA strategy. The training focused on inclusive practices and teaching methods tailored to each student’s learning level, as well as on reintegration and reception procedures for children and adolescents who were out of school. Post-training assessments show substantial advances: teachers strengthened their mastery of inclusive pedagogies and adopted new support methodologies, enhancing their ability to identify and accompany students at risk of exclusion. 

“I would like to highlight that the implementation of this initiative has been a very concrete and valuable example of how joint, coordinated and sustained work between the government, UNICEF and civil society organizations can generate tangible results to support school retention and improve the learning of the most vulnerable children and adolescents in Paraguay,” emphasized Rosana Vega, UNICEF Representative in Paraguay, during the closing ceremony of the initiative.

For her part, the Vice Minister of Basic Education of the Ministry of Education and Sciences (MEC), Peggy Martínez, noted that the government will continue working with the 300 schools participating in the initiative “so that what has already been planted grows stronger and continues to flourish”. She added that the expansion of ERA will also be promoted in other educational institutions and referred to the actions that will be implemented to ensure their sustainability.  

“Every girl and every boy deserve to learn, grow and develop with real opportunities to access quality education, regardless of their origin or the circumstances that may limit their dreams,” finally stressed Alex Loza, Vice President of the Alda Foundation. 

With these results, the initiative is firmly established as a scalable, evidence-based model for reducing school exclusion, strengthening retention, and improving learning outcomes in Paraguay. Its comprehensive approach, which combines effective reintegration, targeted pedagogical support, and teacher training, demonstrates that it is possible to advance toward a more inclusive and higher-quality education system nationwide. 

Testimony from one of the thousands of beneficiaries 

One of the more than 37,000 beneficiaries of the Let’s Go to School! initiative is Pedro Irala Tapari, an 8-year-old Indigenous boy from the Avá Guaraní community living in a rural area of Santa Rosa del Aguaray, San Pedro. Pedro attends third grade at Arroyo Verde school and was able to return to classes thanks to the initiative led by the MEC in partnership with UNICEF and EAA. Pedrito, as he likes to be called, benefited from the learning recovery spaces, where he received support to improve his literacy and mathematics skills. 

“It is very important for children to go to school. We can support them to keep moving forward, study and achieve their dreams,” stresses Pedro’s mother, Dalila Tapari. “When I grow up, I want to be a nurse,” confides Pedrito, full of the same hope shared by the thousands of children and adolescents who have benefited from the Let’s Go to School! Initiative.