The Technical Labor Training Scholarship Program in English (Probefi), promoted by the General Directorate of Extracurricular Education (Digeex) of the Ministry of Education (Mineduc), reported until April of this year that 922 students failed a course.
According to Verónica Spross, executive director of Entrepreneurs for Education, there are various factors why a high number of students failing courses could be reported, including chronic malnutrition and deficiencies in educational training.
“There may be gaps in learning abilities due to chronic malnutrition. Also the lack of preschool or pre-primary school, since there basic social skills are developed that later serve for a successful school career,” he explained.
According to the Vice Minister of Extracurricular Education, Carlos Aldana, the institution will implement digital licenses for academic reinforcement to support students with learning difficulties and prevent them from abandoning the program. The tool, called Elsa, seeks to strengthen language learning before a new evaluation.
“We are considering implementing digital reinforcement licenses for students who did not pass. After using this license they could be evaluated again by Intecap and see if they go to another level or improve their level,” Aldana explained.
According to the official, the first calculation contemplates the acquisition of about 1,500 licenses, with an estimated cost of US$70 per user for three months, which would represent an investment close to Q1.2 million.
The vice minister assured that the purchase would be supported by article 114 of Decree 36-2024, which allows financing complementary learning mechanisms within the scholarship program.
Regarding the licenses that Digeex plans to grant, Spross considered it important to have tools to help students who are not learning enough.
“They probably require more personalized support in terms of the different factors that could affect them. Sometimes there are health issues that affect the person and prevent them from completing a course,” he said.
Challenges
Aldana explained that during this year approximately 4,600 students who started classes in 2025 will continue. However, he warned that this figure could decrease due to the failure levels detected during the first months of the year.
“We have started to discover that at least half of the people are missing their exams. That will influence the student continuity numbers,” he said.
According to the vice minister, the government agreement that gave life to the program establishes that students can only repeat a course once, so a second failure would mean being excluded from the benefit.
“We don’t want to lose those people. We have to call them and see the reasons why they lost, if it is a question of learning,” said Aldana.
The official explained that the institution has already contacted the first 922 people who failed for the first time, although less than half responded to follow-up calls. He added that one of the main challenges was no longer administrative or financial and began to focus on educational support and student permanence.
“The most complicated challenge is how we ensure that people continue their studies and do not abandon them,” he said.
According to Spross, to measure the impact of the program, in addition to the number of enrollees, the number of people who learn or manage to advance to a higher level is important.
“In the end, the important thing is how many complete the course with a certain level of training in English. The goals are ambitious, but we must ensure that people pass A1, A2 or B1, at least, so that they can find a job,” he mentioned.
Projections
According to the authorities, the 2026 fund contemplates the incorporation of approximately 5,700 new beneficiaries. Added to the 4,600 continuing students and an additional group of 500 students linked to programs developed with Agexport, the program projects around 10,500 active people this year.
In terms of coverage, Aldana explained that the Ministry plans to reach around 33 thousand scholarships accumulated between 2025 and 2026, taking into account both the courses already assigned last year and the new training processes this year.
The program also reports 664 graduates, of which 422 are already employed, mainly in the call center sector. This represents an employability rate close to 64%, according to data provided by Digeex.
For Spross, this number represents a high percentage of employability, which is why it is necessary to strengthen the program to obtain better results. “It is important to continue training young people. We must reinforce it to continue developing tools, such as platforms for young people to learn with the accompaniment of a tutor,” he explained.
The vice minister pointed out that currently job opportunities continue to be concentrated in the call center sector, although for the second half of the year it is planned to explore new areas, such as tourism and technology.
Spross added that, upon completion of the courses, students can opt for employment in a call center and continue their learning. However, he reiterated that there are other sectors in which they could be used, such as medical services, accounting, technology and marketing strategies.
Students 2026
According to Digeex data provided to Free press592 students started classes from May 4 to 7. Of these, 408 are women and 184 men. In addition, 550 are adults and 42 are minors.
Students are distributed in 16 departments:
- Guatemala: 186
- Chimaltenango: 134
- Peten: 41
- Chiquimula: 32
- Quetzaltenango: 31
- San Marcos: 29
- Retalhuleu: 28
- Jalapa: 23
- Progress: 22
- Suchitepequez: 21
- Santa Rosa: 18
- Sololá: 18
- Baja Verapaz: 5
- Huehuetenango: 2
- Jutiapa: 1
- Zacapa: 1