Central America
Early childhood is a high priority for the Salvadoran government in the area of education
October 3 |
The public investment contemplated in the draft General State Budget for 2024 amounts to $1,790.5 million, and includes a strong commitment to the education system in general, and specifically, to the protection and comprehensive care of early childhood and adolescence, according to figures presented by the Ministry of Finance.
As part of the emblematic projects in public investment, the Government of President Nayib Bukele will allocate $245 million for the early childhood programs Crecer y Aprender Juntos, and Nacer, Aprender y Crecer, which will be executed by the Ministries of Education and Health.
All the early childhood work has been led by the First Lady of the Republic, Gabriela de Bukele, with the support of public institutions, with the purpose of settling the historical debts left by the ARENA and FMLN parties, which governed for 30 years.
As part of the work in early childhood, the first lady met last week at the Presidential House with Afshan Khan, United Nations undersecretary and coordinator of the Global Movement for the Promotion of Nutrition, to whom she presented the work of the Government of President Nayib Bukele in favor of this segment of the population.
At the end of the meeting, Khan highlighted the work done by the Government and the First Lady for early childhood and remarked that El Salvador is one of the few countries that invest in this area. “The program of the First Lady, Gabriela de Bukele, is one of the best child development programs I have ever seen,” said the UN official during her visit.
As part of the strategic bet, next year’s state budget also allocates $140 million for the educational reform Mi Nueva Escuela, in addition to $16 million for the improvement of educational environments and $75 million for the program Creciendo Saludables Juntos, whose main objective is the integral development of early childhood.
The educational reform Mi Nueva Escuela, announced by the President of the Republic in September 2022, is part of the government’s strategy to transform the public education system that was abandoned by previous governments. The change of school curricula and textbooks, as well as the incorporation of technology and the construction and reconstruction of educational spaces, nutrition and health are part of the axes of this reform.
The sociologist and teacher Mauricio Rodríguez considers that the Ministry of Finance has presented a “balanced” state budget project, with “strategic investment lines” to solve the needs in each of the social areas, including education in the public sector.
“In the area of education there is a strong component with respect to what we know as early childhood”, said the analyst, and recalled that, together with the investment component, the Government is already implementing the Nacer con Cariño Law and the Crecer Juntos (Grow Together) Law. Both regulations were proposed by the Executive and approved by the Legislative Assembly.
“It makes sense that the general State budget be oriented more towards these areas, to lay the foundations for a country with people of a different type of preparation. What previous governments did was to strengthen the intermediate levels [of the educational system] and forgot about the base [early childhood],” the teacher stated.
In public investment, the budget also allocates $69 million for the integrated health program, to continue improving care at all levels of the public system; and $257 million for the purchase of medicines, medical supplies and vaccines.
Also, $138 million was budgeted for the execution of municipal infrastructure works through the National Directorate of Municipal Works (DOM) and $182 million for the Los Chorros highway viaduct and widening project. ANDA will also receive $26.7 million to execute the water sector resiliency program in prioritized areas.
Central America
U.S. and El Salvador maintain close partnership, embassy says
The Chargé d’Affaires of the United States Embassy in El Salvador, Naomi Fellows, said on Monday that relations between the two countries remain “very close” and that both governments continue to work together in several areas of shared interest.
Speaking at a press conference, Fellows highlighted the longstanding friendship between the United States and El Salvador, as well as the achievements reached through bilateral agreements.
“In terms of our relationship with El Salvador, it continues to be very strong, very close. We are partners on security issues, on economic development; partners on migration, and on many other matters,” she said.
Fellows added that the relationship remains solid and is expected to continue strengthening through joint actions and cooperation initiatives.
On security, she noted that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has underscored the results of the measures implemented by the government of President Nayib Bukele to improve public safety in the country.
Senior U.S. officials have visited El Salvador to observe firsthand the impact of the Territorial Control Plan, including tours of the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT).
Fellows also emphasized the strong personal ties between the two nations, pointing to family and friendship connections that link Salvadorans and Americans.
Central America
Taiwan’s $10 million donation after 2001 earthquakes allegedly diverted in El Salvador
Amid the national tragedy left by the earthquakes of January 13 and February 13, 2001, a controversial corruption scandal emerged that later implicated former presidents Francisco Flores and Elías Antonio Saca, as well as senior executives of the ARENA party.
Although there were efforts to conceal a scheme involving the misuse of public funds, subsequent investigations revealed that between October 2003 and April 2004 the government of Taiwan, led at the time by President Chen Shui-bian, delivered at least three checks totaling $10 million in donations to El Salvador. The funds were diverted and never recorded by the Technical Secretariat for External Financing, the government body responsible for coordinating and monitoring international cooperation resources.
The plight of more than 1.5 million earthquake victims prompted an outpouring of international solidarity. However, it also fueled ambitions among sectors that allegedly took advantage of the emergency to improperly appropriate resources intended to ease the suffering of those affected.
Part of the $10 million donation was earmarked for the construction of housing for residents of Las Colinas, one of the communities hardest hit by the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck on January 13, 2001, at 11:35 a.m. Plans also included the creation of a memorial park to honor the 525 victims buried by landslides.
At a press conference in January 2014, Alejandro Flores, president of the Las Colinas community board, stated that residents received some assistance from Taiwanese cooperation funds. However, he clarified that this support came from different resources and that the destination of the $10 million donation was never known to them.
Central America
El Salvador reports safest year in its history, security cabinet says
Officials from the institutions that make up El Salvador’s Expanded Security Cabinet on Monday, January 5, presented the results achieved through the country’s security strategies during 2025.
Authorities highlighted a significant reduction in homicides, the arrest of all perpetrators involved in killings, and the seizure of millions of dollars’ worth of illegal drugs throughout the past year.
“We have reached the day when, as the Expanded Security Cabinet, we present the national security report,” said Minister of Security Gustavo Villatoro.
Villatoro detailed the number of days with zero homicides recorded during the administration of President Nayib Bukele, as well as during the state of exception in 2025.
“We have accumulated 1,102 days without homicides during President Nayib Bukele’s administration, of which 988 occurred during the state of exception,” Villatoro explained.
The security minister underscored the government’s fight against impunity, noting that in 2025 authorities arrested those responsible for every homicide reported during the year.
“We closed 2025 with 82 homicides, all of which have been solved. That means we achieved a 100% homicide clearance rate and 0% impunity in homicide cases,” Villatoro said.
“These figures clearly show that the security measures promoted by the government were exactly what the country needed, and today we can say with full authority that we are the safest country in the entire Western Hemisphere,” he added.
Villatoro also reported the homicide rate per 100,000 inhabitants at the end of the year.
“In 2024, we closed with a homicide rate of 1.9 per 100,000 inhabitants. In 2025, we reduced it to 1.3, which represents 32 fewer homicides compared to the previous year,” he said.
According to official data, of the 82 homicides recorded in 2025, 43 were linked to social intolerance, 31 to family-related disputes, and eight to criminal activity. Villatoro emphasized that El Salvador is the only country able to report a reduction of more than 50% in street and violent crimes, including theft, assault, rape, extortion, vehicle theft and robbery.
“2025 represents the safest year in our national history, and all of this is due to the daily efforts of thousands of men and women in uniform and in public service,” Villatoro stated.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister René Francis Merino Monroy noted that another key factor behind the country’s low crime figures has been the strengthened security shield implemented by authorities in the fight against drug trafficking.
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