In 1976, the work "La tía Julia y el escribidor" by Mario Vargas Llosa was published in Latin America, representing the peak of the so-called Latin American literary boom. The book traveled through the region with varying levels of censorship, demonstrating the value that this literature still held at the time. The story is set in the city of Piura and the Peruvian Amazon rainforest.
Half a century later, most Latin American countries show a significant setback in reading comprehension, despite increased schooling levels. This means readers would have more difficulty assimilating books like Vargas Llosa's, even with more years of study.
The recent PISA 2025 results reveal a deficit that extends not only to reading, but also to mathematics and sciences. Of the 13 countries evaluated in the region, seven showed results, on average, below the 2022 measurement, while the data for another six remained stable.
The OECD reported that the latest report records one of the lowest levels of educational performance ever recorded. The setback affects not only Latin America, but also Spain, which faces similar problems in education.
