Chapter 11: High School Education in Peru: Perspectives from the Third World

“Is everybody young in this country?” asked my Greek friend as we walked out of an Italian ice cream shop, a needed stop on our tour of downtown Lima. I looked around and estimated loosely: “Perhaps three in every five Peruvians.” Indeed, this was not the first time a visiting North American or European colleague wondered about the very large percentage of young people in my country. And even though I have spent most of my life in Perú, I still find it shocking and worrying when I see so many young people pouring down the streets like a flooding river when the bells ring and schools are out. It can be overwhelming, especially if one has been abroad and lived in countries in which middle-aged and senior citizens—not young people—are a major part of the panorama.