Teacher disempowerment in the education system of Ecuador

Abstract

A profound and systemic education change requires taking into consideration the several factors that intervene, particularly, and most importantly, the role of the teacher. Ecuador, since 2009 has been immersed in constant changes to achieve an educational transformation; however, nothing has been invested in the professional development of teachers, instead, all efforts and funds have been assigned to create more directions for teachers to follow. This article paper focuses on the role of teachers in the education system in Ecuador. It reviews the objectives of revalorizing the teaching profession within the literature of teacher empowerment with the purpose of critically analyze if what is written in official documents is what is happening in reality in the country. Moreover, it examines the role of Ecuadorian teachers in terms of the factors that have led to their disempowerment: feminization, technologization, deskilling, intensification, and privatization.