For more than six years, the Ecuadorian State has denied A’i Cofán children of the Sinangoe community their fundamental right to education. Since the destruction of their school in 2019, the Ministry of Education and the Secretary of Intercultural Bilingual Education and Ethnoeducation (SEIBE) have failed in their obligation to guarantee them an adequate, culturally relevant, and dignified space for learning.
Faced with the State’s lack of action and its systematic failure to fulfill its commitments, the community of Sinangoe has filed a formal complaint with UNESCO and the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to education, demanding urgent measures to guarantee the education of more than 60 children who have been forced to study in undignified conditions.
Six years without a school: a struggle against state neglect
Since 2019, the children of Sinangoe have had to study in makeshift spaces without access to electricity, drinking water, or adequate school furniture. Books and notebooks get wet in the rain, the cold and wind makes learning difficult, and the State has completely ignored the community’s right to an education that is based on their own culture and language.
The best interests of the child, a fundamental principle of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, have been ignored time and again by the Ecuadorian authorities. The community has repeatedly requested the reconstruction of their school, but their requests have been ignored or rejected with arguments disregarding their territorial rights and self-determination.
for violating their right to education and autonomy/ Photo: Morella Mendua
An ignored court ruling and blatant institutional racism
In July 2024, the children of Sinangoe, along with their community, filed a lawsuit in the Ecuadorian courts to demand that their right to education be respected. On July 25th, a judge ruled in favor of the community and ordered the Ministry of Education to present a timetable for the construction of a new, culturally relevant school within 60 days.
However, instead of complying with the ruling, the Ministry appealed it, further prolonging the education crisis. In addition, Ministry and SEIBE officials have issued racist communications disparaging the community’s education and describing their cultural practices as “mistreatment”. This blatant discrimination violates the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibits discrimination based on ethnicity.
What the Sinangoe community is demanding
Faced with the failure of the Ecuadorian state to comply, the A’i Cofán community of Sinangoe has taken its struggle to the international community. In their complaint to UNESCO and the UN Rapporteur, they demand the following:
- That public pressure be applied to the Ecuadorian State so that it will comply with the court ruling and immediately guarantee the right to education for the children of Sinangoe.
- Intervention to demand that the Provincial Court of Sucumbíos urgently resolve the appeal and confirm the ruling in favor of the community.
- Monitoring and follow-up by UNESCO and the UN Rapporteurship to ensure that the Ministry of Education and SEIBE comply with their international obligations.
- Investigation and condemnation of institutional discrimination, ensuring that the cultural rights of the A’i Cofán community are respected.
