Education in Argentina faces challenges that require immediate action. However, there are hidden interests and a lack of will that obstruct the path to improvement.
Economic and power interests influence educational decisions and policies. Some actors seek to benefit through the commercialization of materials, the mismanagement of schools, the implementation of outsourced educational programs, among others. This dynamic creates a scenario in which education becomes a lucrative market, often to the detriment of its quality.
The “educational mafia”, for economic and political purposes, uses the promotion of ignorance as a means to manipulate and weaken the people. This deficiency affects the socioeconomic development of the country. If we want to achieve prosperity and equity, we must empower people, foster innovation, strengthen social cohesion and form an informed citizenry.
The Argentine federal system presents obstacles to addressing these challenges. Although the Ministry of Education leads on this issue, Congress should improve its oversight of the education system. For its part, the Judiciary should guarantee compliance with constitutional rights and principles.
It is time to modify those general guidelines established in the National Education Law. The spatial distribution or organization of the classroom is old and not very collaborative.
The different individual learning processes or interests are not considered. Management is from control and imposition of hierarchies. The subjects are quite useless for daily life. Passions and personal development are not fueled. The allocation of resources is scarce. The teaching vocation is not encouraged. Children have fewer and fewer classes due to union protests.
Provincial Governments must join forces so that innovative proposals are useful and do not exhaust themselves in mere marketing. They must refine budgetary agreements and not get bogged down in the regulation of national regulations.
Jaime Saavedra, Director of Human Development for LATAM at the WB, expressed that in Argentina only 13 out of every 100 children finish secondary school with the necessary skills. It is time to modify the general guidelines established in the National Education Law.
In conclusion, education should be approached as the development of intellectual, moral and emotional capacity. As Plato expressed: “it consists of directing the mind toward the true object of knowledge, which is the understanding of the idea of the Good.”
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by CEDOC
