Vice president of El Salvador speaks on fighting poverty
Christian Martell
Issue date: 4/11/07 Section: Campus News
|
Escobar and President Elias Antonio Saca were elected in 2004 in an election boasting the highest voter turnout ever in Salvadoran history. Their party, ARENA, won 58.5 percent of the vote - 20 points more than the opposition.
Escobar discussed current economic policies undertaken by the Salvadoran government, such as its involvement in the Central America Free Trade Agreement, an expansion agreement between the only Salvadoran airline and Air Canada and the "Plan Puebla Panama" initiative, which will allow for energy-sharing between Mexico and Central America.
"Today, countries are more interdependent then ever," Escobar said. "But all these economic indicators mean nothing if we do nothing for our people."
In a country where 30 percent of the population is impoverished, Escobar named poverty as the biggest challenge for her people and creating opportunities and jobs as the main solution.
In order to improve the living conditions and overall well-being of El Salvador, Escobar said the government needs to "fight back by sustaining economic growth, which demands competitiveness in an international world" and a focus on education.
Escobar outlined four pillars for national education reform - increasing the number of years children attend schools, strengthening math and science curricula, moving towards bilingualism and providing students with access to technology before they graduate high school.
Though most of these initiatives are still in the development stages, Escobar said she met with Microsoft founder Bill Gates to ask for Microsoft's support in the technology initiative.
During the question-and-answer session after her lecture, Escobar fielded questions about gang violence, other leaders in Central America and more personal questions, such as the challenges she faced as a Latina in a senior elected position.