7.6 million students in Latin
America and the Caribbean drop out of higher education, according to the United
Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Organization of Ibero-American States
for Education, Science and Culture (OEI). Although material issues are the main
causes behind these dropouts from the classroom, 38% of adolescents in the
region stop attending classes due to disinterest, according to a survey by the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Motivation is a key factor in keeping students in school despite the negative
impact of inequality.
Passionate about education since she was a child, young Peruvian Mayra Lázaro is aware of the importance of having a professional vocation and role models to break out of the cycle of poverty and access opportunities. She says, "80% of students when they finish high school do not know what to study and most of them have not had a proper skills identification process." To help students find meaning in continuing with their classes, the Peruvian has created QUEESTUDIAR, a platform that helps students learn about their strengths so that they have the motivation to continue learning. Thanks to this project, the young woman has become one of MIT Technology Review's 35 Innovators under 35 Latin America 2022 in Spanish.
Lázaro's breakthrough gives tools for the school, students, psychologists, and parents to help the transition to higher education by identifying students' strengths. The platform allows schools and psychologists to track students and assess their soft skills. The use of artificial intelligence improves the effectiveness of the tools as their deployment expands. The learning content is adapted to the current generation and students interact with the platform through stories in WhatsApp conversations. It also provides role models so that they can follow their path. The learner gains self-knowledge and discovers skills that are useful for professional activity. "We help to discover the inner talent that each person has. We do this together with schools," explains the innovator.
QUEESTUDIAR helps schools and high schools in Peru and Paraguay to help their students, especially the most disadvantaged, gain self-confidence and know what profession they want to have in adult life. With this technology, Lázaro reduces the economic inequality that is reproduced between generations through school failure. Faced with this global problem, the goal of the innovator is to internationalize the platform so that more teenagers can find a vocation and opportunities.
