The educational deficit in Guatemala, reflected in a high, chronic level of illiteracy, is only partly due to the existence of a large, multilingual Indian population. The high proportion of rural population and the ineffectiveness of the rural education program must be addressed to increase literacy in Guatemala. (Author/CB)

Draws on sociolinguistic literature and on an ethnographic study of language use and bilingual education in Quechua-speaking rural communities of Puno. Consider the roles of both language planning and the schools in achieving language maintenance for Quechua. (35 references) (Author/CB)