A Catholic bishop led prayers at a primary school in Boca de Uchire, Venezuela, as students regularly fainted due to malnutrition. Bishop Jorge Quintero addressed the Augusto D'Aubeterre Lyceum during a scorching October morning in 2019, acknowledging the growing number of children unable to attend classes because of hunger.
Five students fainted during a 15-minute ceremony, with two requiring ambulance transport. Teachers and parents linked the incidents to widespread food insecurity, as many students arrive at school without breakfast or dinner. 'You can't educate skeletal and hungry people,' said Maira Marín, a teacher and union leader in the region.
Venezuela's six-year economic crisis has devastated its education system, once a pillar of social mobility. The collapse has led to mass school closures, with attendance plummeting as families struggle to afford uniforms, transportation, and meals. In some areas, classes operate only one or two days a week, and teachers often combine grade levels or teach multiple subjects.
Experts warn the decline threatens to set the country back decades. 'An entire generation is being left behind,' said Luis Bravo, an education researcher at the Central University of Venezuela. 'Today’s system doesn’t allow children to become meaningful members of society.'
The government halted education statistics in 2014, but visits to over a dozen schools across five states reveal stark declines. In Zulia state, up to 60% of 65,000 teachers have left in recent years, with many abandoning their $8 monthly wages for illegal gold mining or emigration. In Parmana, only four of 150 registered students attended school in October, with the remaining children working in agriculture or fishing to support their families.
President Nicolás Maduro’s administration has dismissed concerns, claiming 'not one school has closed' despite the crisis. However, teachers report crumbling infrastructure, lack of basic supplies, and a shortage of trained educators. The number of graduates from Venezuela’s main teacher training university fell 70% between 2014 and 2018, exacerbating the staffing crisis.
For families like the Carutos in Boca de Uchire, the choice is stark: send children to school hungry or keep them home. 'I can’t send them to class hungry,' said José Luis Caruto, a 36-year-old unemployed father. His daughter Yuxi, 17, dropped out after unaffordable bus fares and a community center’s abrupt closure left her with no educational options.
Students began skipping school in Venezuela shortly after President Nicolas Maduro came to power in 2013. A fall in the price of the country’s main export, crude oil, combined with Mr. Maduro’s ill-timed effort to double down on price and currency controls sent the economy into a recession from which it has not yet emerged. About four million Venezuelans have fled the country since 2015, according to the United Nations.
