“I am a product of the public education system. I know it can work!” says Honduran Education Minister Marlon Escoto (pictured second to right). Unfortunately for more than a decade, the Honduran education system was not working. While Honduras spent the highest percentage of its GDP in the region on education, its students had some of the lowest test scores.
Honduran Test Scores Rising!
October 30, 2015
The Association for a More Just Society and its partners, who formed the alliance Let’s Transform Honduras (TH) saw the tragic results of this low-quality education. Drop-out levels were high, and even students that did graduate couldn’t compete for jobs with private school students, much less with students from other countries.
ASJ (formerly known as AJS) and its partners couldn’t remain silent. Starting almost four years ago, they began to investigate why Honduran education quality was so low. What they found was a system hijacked by political interests and powerful teacher unions who, in the words of Let’s Transform Honduras coordinator Blanca Munguia, “didn’t care about the future of Honduran children.”
TH’s study found that in one Honduran province 27% of teachers on the payroll were not in the classroom, and even teachers that were in the correct classroom were often not in classes for weeks on end, participating in politically motivated strikes. In fact, Honduran students were going to school three and a half months fewer than their North American counterparts. That means that by the time a student reaches 8th grade, he has missed four years of school compared to North American students!
After publicizing this information, TH sought out government authorities who were willing to work for change, but made little headway. Finally, in 2011 the president appointed a new Minister of Education, Marlon Escoto, who was willing to work with TH. He cracked down on striking teachers and required all teachers to register online to make sure they were in the correct classroom. TH contributed by training parent volunteers in schools across the country to make sure teachers and students were in the classroom.
Together, they helped Honduran schools get within three weeks of a US school year, and surpass the number of days required by Honduran law. As one of TH’s parent observers said, “The teachers haven’t skipped a day. My son told me ‘Mom! We haven’t been able to rest at all this year!”
And this transformation is already showing results. Honduran children have improved their Spanish scores by 10% and their math scores by 20% in the last three years!
This year, TH will monitor school days with continued support from the Minister of Education, who, in an unprecedented move, was just reappointed by Honduras’ new president.
Minister Escoto closes, “Something important is happening in our country right now. TH has had a continual commitment to education, and we have been able to join them.”
A Spotlight On Our Dedicated Volunteers
How Hondurans Live Out The Joy of Democratic Participation
A Reflection from ASJ-Canada Board President, Matt Van Geest
Words from the Executive Director
Thirsty For Justice
Hondurans cast their ballots during the November 30, 2025, general election, which saw historic voter turnout and a peaceful process supported by more than 12,000 national and international election observers working to safeguard transparency.
ASJ-Canada and ASJ-US Congratulate the Honduran People, Call for Full and Transparent Results As sister organizations committed to justice, peace and hope in Honduras, ASJ-Canada and ASJ-US extend our deepest congratulations to the people of Honduras on the peaceful conduct of their national elections on November 30, 2025. With the initial tally showing an extraordinarily close vote, we call on election authorities to do what is necessary to ensure a transparent count of the remaining ballots in order to guarantee public trust in the final outcome. We commend the Honduran voters for their dedication to democratic participation and their commitment to shaping the future of their country through civic engagement. We also recognize the efforts of electoral authorities, civil society organizations, the international community and the thousands of volunteer observers who worked to ensure a transparent, orderly, and secure process. We are especially proud of our sister organization, ASJ-Honduras, for their unwavering commitment to democracy demonstrated through their electoral observation efforts, their analysis activities, and their consistent call for a fair and orderly process. Now that such a process has been achieved, the work turns to counting the votes with accuracy and transparency. The results remain close, increasing the possibility of a contested result. We support the work of the election officials at the National Electoral Council to give Hondurans confidence in the final results by conducting their count with rigor and transparency. We remain hopeful that the spirit of peaceful participation in the democratic process embraced by the electorate will carry forward into the post-election period to come. We look forward to continued collaboration with ASJ-Honduras as we all work together toward a just and hopeful future for all Hondurans. Matthew Van Geest President, Board of Directors ASJ-Canada Russ Jacobs President, Board of Directors ASJ-US
A call to action for Honduras
The Association for a More Justice Society-US Supports the Network to Defend Democracy; Calls for Free and Fair Elections in Honduras November 25, 2025
Honduras’s Institutional Crisis Deepens Ahead of the 2025 Elections
