﻿Vol. 
  2] 
  

  

  CONTEMPORARY 
  QUECHUA 
  — 
  MISHKIN 
  

  

  461 
  

  

  children. 
  Girls, 
  likewise, 
  are 
  taught 
  the 
  household 
  arts 
  by 
  their 
  

   mothers 
  with 
  considerable 
  care. 
  Parents 
  and 
  grandparents 
  both 
  give 
  

   daily 
  instruction 
  in 
  spinning, 
  in 
  weaving, 
  and 
  in 
  whatever 
  other 
  local 
  

   arts 
  are 
  practiced. 
  The 
  common 
  phenomenon 
  of 
  older 
  siblings 
  teach- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  younger 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  everywhere 
  among 
  the 
  Quechua, 
  although 
  

   parents 
  and 
  grandparents 
  take 
  the 
  major 
  responsibility 
  for 
  instructing 
  

   the 
  young. 
  

  

  Knowledge 
  and 
  instruction 
  of 
  a 
  formal 
  sort 
  are 
  beyond 
  the 
  reach 
  

   of 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  Peruvian 
  Quechua. 
  Very 
  few 
  Indians 
  learn 
  Spanish 
  

   and 
  fewer 
  learn 
  to 
  read 
  and 
  write 
  even 
  poorly. 
  Peru's 
  population 
  of 
  

   15 
  years 
  of 
  age 
  and 
  over 
  totals 
  to 
  3,595,800 
  of 
  which 
  57.6 
  percent 
  

   (2,071,637) 
  are 
  illiterate 
  (Estado 
  de 
  la 
  Instrucci6n 
  en 
  el 
  Peru, 
  1942, 
  

   p. 
  55). 
  The 
  national 
  coefficient 
  of 
  illiteracy 
  is 
  given 
  at 
  35.15 
  percent. 
  

   As 
  regards 
  the 
  school-age 
  population 
  of 
  1,464,664, 
  only 
  35.15 
  percent 
  

   of 
  the 
  children 
  are 
  receiving 
  some 
  type 
  of 
  instruction, 
  while 
  64.85 
  

   percent 
  are 
  receiving 
  none 
  at 
  all 
  (ibid., 
  p. 
  11). 
  This 
  situation 
  is 
  

   further 
  clarified 
  by 
  the 
  following 
  table: 
  

  

  Table 
  3. 
  — 
  Peruvian 
  population 
  data 
  1 
  

  

  

  Total 
  

   population 
  

  

  Populated 
  

   places 
  

  

  School-age 
  population 
  

  

  Region 
  

  

  Total 
  

  

  With 
  

   instruction 
  

  

  Without 
  

   instruction 
  

  

  Coast 
  - 
  

  

  Percent 
  

   34.35 
  

   60.28 
  

   5.37 
  

  

  Percent 
  

   14.93 
  

   77.42 
  

   7.65 
  

  

  Percent 
  

   33.60 
  

   60.60 
  

   5.80 
  

  

  Percent 
  

   51. 
  51 
  

  

  40.71 
  

   7.78 
  

  

  Percent 
  

   23.89 
  

  

  

  71.39 
  

  

  Jungle 
  

  

  4.72 
  

  

  

  

  

  1 
  From 
  Estado 
  de 
  la 
  Instruction 
  en 
  el 
  Pern, 
  p. 
  15. 
  

  

  The 
  Sierra, 
  although 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  densely 
  populated 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  

   country 
  with 
  the 
  largest 
  number 
  of 
  populated 
  centers, 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  

   lacking 
  in 
  educational 
  facilities. 
  Enormous 
  areas 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  

   which 
  not 
  one 
  school 
  exists. 
  In 
  some 
  places, 
  Quechua 
  communities 
  

   attempted 
  to 
  fill 
  a 
  sharply 
  felt 
  need 
  by 
  establishing 
  classes 
  in 
  Spanish 
  

   at 
  their 
  own 
  expense. 
  But 
  these 
  schools 
  were 
  soon 
  abandoned. 
  The 
  

   Mestizo 
  teachers, 
  who 
  had 
  not 
  completely 
  mastered 
  the 
  alphabet, 
  

   lost 
  heart 
  when 
  they 
  were 
  unable 
  to 
  collect 
  the 
  pittance 
  they 
  were 
  

   promised. 
  The 
  children, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  lost 
  whatever 
  interest 
  

   they 
  had 
  at 
  the 
  outset 
  as 
  a 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  miserable 
  instruction. 
  Ke- 
  

   cently 
  this 
  type 
  of 
  school 
  has 
  been 
  banned 
  by 
  the 
  Government 
  and 
  

   each 
  community 
  willing 
  to 
  build 
  a 
  schoolhouse 
  and 
  maintain 
  it 
  is 
  

   guaranteed 
  a 
  Government-paid 
  teacher. 
  

  

  In 
  those 
  places 
  where 
  the 
  Indians 
  have 
  access 
  to 
  schools, 
  language 
  

   proves 
  to 
  be 
  an 
  insuperable 
  difficulty 
  for 
  the 
  Quechua 
  students. 
  In- 
  

   struction, 
  in 
  practically 
  all 
  cases, 
  is 
  given 
  in 
  Spanish. 
  The 
  Quechua 
  

   students 
  are 
  unable 
  to 
  follow 
  it 
  and, 
  after 
  a 
  brief 
  but 
  unsuccessful 
  

   effort, 
  are 
  satisfied 
  to 
  devote 
  themselves 
  to 
  tidying 
  the 
  school 
  grounds 
  

  

  