From Words to Deeds: Institutional Gaps in the Inclusion of Indigenous and Afro-Descendant Peoples in Honduran Higher Education

Abstract

This article examines the persistent gap between regulatory frameworks and institutional practices for the inclusion of indigenous peoples and Afro-descendants in higher education in Honduras. Although the last decade has seen a proliferation of policies, programs, and discourses aimed at equity, formal advances contrast with structural barriers that continue to limit access, retention, and graduation rates for students belonging to these communities. Using a hermeneutic-critical approach and a qualitative design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with university management representatives, and a documentary analysis of institutional policies, state agendas, and educational regulations was carried out. The results reveal statistical inconsistencies in population characterization, the weakening of state structures responsible for ethnic affairs, and the fragmented implementation of inclusion policies. Although institutions such as UNAH, UNAG, and UPNFM have developed some relevant initiatives, these lack systemic coordination, sustained resources, and evaluation mechanisms. The study identifies manifestations of institutional racism, expressed in bureaucratic practices that dilute complaints, monocultural curricula, and the absence of operational protocols that guarantee the full exercise of rights. It concludes that effective inclusion requires the articulation of recognition, redistribution, and epistemological reconfiguration through sustained budgeting, institutional units with executive mandates, teacher training in interculturality, the incorporation of local languages and knowledge into the curriculum, and monitoring with indicators to evaluate impact and active community participation.