El Salvador to invest over 8% of GDP in education

President Nayib Bukele has announced a major expansion of education funding in El Salvador, projecting annual investments to exceed $3 billion, which represents more than 8% of the nation's GDP. This planned increase is intended to be triple the amount allocated by previous administrations.

As part of this initiative, the government is launching a program to provide 50,000 scholarships for 2026. These scholarships will cover university degrees, technical training, and vocational courses through in-person, semi-presential, or virtual modalities. To ensure the long-term sustainability of the scholarship program, the government has signed a $100 million agreement with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

The announcement, made during an event at the Jorge ‘Mágico’ González National Stadium, drew criticism from Manuel Flores, the general secretary of the FMLN. Flores characterized the announcement as an “electoral proposal” and a “show,” questioning the transparency of the selection process and the financial implications of the loans used to fund such programs.