Education

Education in Ecuador is regulated by the Ministry of Education, Sports, and Culture. Public education is free, universal, and secular at all levels, and available to every school-age person (5 to 17 years old) within the national territory, regardless of their origin or status.

The Organic Law of Intercultural Education, its Regulations, and several Ministerial Agreements—including Agreement 64-A—guarantee access, retention, continuity, and completion within the education system. Key points include:

• School-age children are not required to have identification documents or academic records (such as grade-promotion certificates) to access the education system.
• Children aged 3 to 7 do not take a placement exam; they will attend the readiness period with the group or grade corresponding to their age.
• Individuals older than 8 who do not have an academic record must take placement tests and will be assigned to the appropriate level, with a maximum difference of two years between their age and grade.
• If the child arrived in the country after the ordinary and extraordinary enrollment periods have ended, they still have the right to access and remain in the education system.
• The education system provides socio-emotional support, psychosocial care, and academic leveling.
• Not having school supplies or uniforms is not an obstacle for attending the readiness period.
• Ecuador has two academic calendars, which start and end on different dates: the Coast–Galápagos regime (May to February), and the Highlands–Amazon regime (September to June).