Edgar Pary

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Edgar Pary Chambi is a Bolivian politician and university professor who has been the minister of education since November 19, 2021, under President Luis Arce. He is a member of the Movement for Socialism (MAS-IPSP) and has held several roles in education, including general director of higher education, technological, linguistic, and artistic techniques at the Ministry of Education, and the department director of education in Potosí from 2011 to 2012. He was born in Caiza “D,” Potosí, and trained as a teacher at the local normal school. Pary is connected to MAS’s hard wing and has ties with César Navarro, Víctor Borda, and Diego Pary Rodríguez, who is also a family member.

In July 2021, he filed a lawsuit against then-education minister Adrián Quelca for alleged breach of duties related to an exam trafficking scandal, which contributed to Quelca’s resignation in November 2021. Quelca later filed administrative and criminal actions against Pary, alleging he lacked the qualifications to be deputy director of higher education in Tarija; the Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the complaint after Pary showed he had taught in Potosí for six years. A week after Quelca’s resignation, President Arce appointed Pary as minister.

As minister, Pary pledged to work with social organizations, teachers’ groups, parents, and student representatives to improve education during the COVID-19 pandemic. He announced the 2022 school year would start on February 1 with three options—face-to-face, blended, or distance learning—depending on local conditions. With the pandemic again affecting schools, distance learning was used in nine capital cities, and Pary urged parents to vaccinate children to help return to in-person classes. By early March 2022, most school units planned some form of in-person instruction.

The Confederation of Urban Education Workers of Bolivia (CTEUB) pressed for more government resources and a larger budget, leading to protests in February and March 2022. After clashes and negotiations, on March 18, 2022, Pary announced an agreement to open talks with parents, students, and social organizations about a budget within the government’s capacity, and to refrain from sanctioning teachers who participated in the strikes.