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46 Years Since the Start of the Great Literacy Crusade
The Great National Literacy Crusade began on March 23, 1980, and ended on August 23 of the same year, constituting the First Great Educational Battle.
TL;DR
- The Great National Literacy Crusade, from March to August 1980, involved 95,582 participants in the Popular Literacy Army.
- Prior to the crusade, Nicaragua had a 50.3% illiteracy rate, with some departments exceeding 70%.
- The crusade reduced illiteracy to 12.9%, educating 406,056 people, and declared Nandasmo the first territory free of illiteracy.
- A special campaign on the Caribbean Coast in September 1980 educated 16,500 in Indigenous languages.
- Neoliberal policies between 1990 and 2006 saw illiteracy rise to 23%.
- New literacy initiatives, including the "Yo sí puedo" Program and the "From Martí to Fidel" National Campaign, led to Nicaragua being declared free of illiteracy in August 2009 with a rate of 4.7%.
- Since 2010, 2.6 million protagonists have been served in literacy and adult education programs.
- The "Luz y Verdad" Program, starting in 2023, has educated 25,785 individuals and included trade and entrepreneurship training.