Santa Cruz students return to classrooms in hybrid model

Following heavy rains and flooding caused by the El Niño phenomenon, a hybrid educational model will be implemented in the Santa Cruz canton of the Galápagos Islands starting November 10, 2026.

The Ministry of Education announced that 2,669 students, representing 61% of the local student population, will return to in-person classes. This group includes students who can travel safely and whose schools meet necessary conditions. The remaining 39%, or 1,703 students, will continue their studies remotely using physical or digital pedagogical materials.

Three specific institutions, Unidad Educativa Miguel Ángel Cazares, Unidad Educativa San Francisco de Asís (Edén campus), and Unidad Educativa Oswaldo Guayasamín, are currently undergoing evaluations to determine when they can safely host students.

The decision follows an emergency declaration for the island on October 31. Recent weather events in the archipelago have resulted in significant damage, contributing to a broader national crisis where heavy rains have caused multiple fatalities and thousands of people to be displaced across Ecuador.