ABOUT NICARAGUA  Bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, Nicaragua is home to 5 million people. It is the largest country in Central America and the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The education system has suffered due to the economy’s struggle to keep up with the demands of the growing population. During the reign of the Sandinistas, education was put back on the forefront with initiatives that increased literacy and attendance in schools. Today the literacy rate stands at 67.5%, a number the country hopes to improve drastically in the years to come.

The Pathways to Higher Education programs in Nicaragua’s participating institutions are working to create quality education opportunities that are accessible to students from low-income and rural backgrounds. Through Pathways, Nicaragua hopes to increase the availability of higher learning opportunities that will prepare students to contribute to their nation’s economic advancement. The main institution with which Pathways is working is URACCAN, a unique institution set up within the framework of the regional autonomous governments of the Caribbean Coast, to provide high quality, but locally relevant higher education to the various ethnic groups in this region.

More participating institution information to come. Please check back soon for updates.