The National School of Electricity and Early Technical Education in Peru

The National School of Electricity was an ambitious educational program envisioned to foster the implementation of an electricity network in Peru in the early decades of the 20th century. By merging the programs of two entities (The School of Arts and Crafts and The School of Engineering) into one institution, the promoters of the National School of Electricity aimed to train future local experts and technicians in the most advanced techniques from the Global North. The analysis of interviews, press releases, and the work of its main promoter (Emilio F. Guarini), as well as other materials and resources, allows us to contend that the National School of Electricity exemplifies the structural social fissures that obstructed the country’s modernization programs. Although the project did not come to fruition, it highlights certain aspects (and the limits) of technical education and institutional culture that privileged an aggressive technological modernization over Peruvian nationals’ well-being, especially those in rural areas.