EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IN ARGENTINA

Education is highly valued in Argentinean society. The Argentine

National Council of Education sets a standard curriculum that is
followed by schools throughout the country, because it is believed
that a national education system promotes unity. The school year in
Argentina runs from March to December and lasts about 200 days.
Schools are closed for national holidays, such as Good Friday and
Easter, and two weeks in July for vacation. Normally, public
elementary schools are in session four and a half hours each
weekday. Saturdays are generally reserved for extracurricular school
activities. Often, a school will have a morning and afternoon session,
allowing pupils and teachers to choose their sessions. Some
elementary schools offer evening classes for adults. Bilingual
programs are offered in many private elementary schools.

Modes of Qualification
The scale to grade up the academic performance in students at the
primary and secondary school rest in the 1-10 ladders as is described
in the following frame.

Evaluative Qualifications
Qualifications Type
10 Salient, Excellent
9 Highly Satisfactory
8-7 Satisfactory
6-5 Barely Satisfactory
4-3-2-1 Unsatisfactory
In the University System however the scale can vary depending on
the independent policies and statutes of grading of each independent
Argentine University.

The educational system is divided into four distinct levels.

The preprimary level (kindergarten) is not compulsory and enrolls
children from 3- to 5-years-old.
The primary (elementary) level is compulsory and consists of 7
grades. Pupils at this level must remain until all 7 grades are
completed or, in case of repetition of grades, until age 14. Children
from 6- to 12-years-old attend primary school along with adults who
need instruction on this level. The secondary level is attended by
youths from 12- to 17-years-old, or 16 if they are employed and
attend night school. Courses of study vary from 3 to 8 years and
prepare students for vocational or professional programs.
Public primary schools are free, but there are no public school buses
and students must buy their own books and uniforms. The uniforms
look like white laboratory coats and are worn over regular clothes.
Private schools are often sponsored by churches or organizations and
charge tuition fees. For children with special needs, there are
separate programs.
For some students, the school day begins at 8 a.m. and ends at noon.
Others attend school between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. When students
arrive, they raise the flag and sing the national anthem. During each
session, they get three breaks of 10 minutes each for recess. In rural
areas, some children go to school on horseback. Some large estancias
have their own one-room schoolhouse for children living on the ranch.

The secondary level

Secondary education is not compulsory but is offered free in federally
funded public schools. In 1987, nearly 2 million students were
enrolled in secondary programs, about 74 percent of the relative age
group. Students may enter secondary programs after successfully
completing the seven years of primary school. Secondary education
programs, whether academic or commercial, are divided into a basic
cycle of three years, followed by a cycle of two or three years. The
commercial programs teach accounting, computer science, and the
like. A technical-vocational program includes 12 to 15 hours a week in
applied workshops. About 85 percent of the students studying at the
secondary level are enrolled in academic and commercial programs.
Graduates of any secondary program requiring five or more years to
complete are eligible for further study at the tertiary level. Students
are graded at the end of the year, and they must make up any
failures from the previous year; they are not allowed to graduate with
any failures on their records.
Students who have completed seven years of primary school may
enter any of the technical schools where the programs have an
academic core, but stress applied learning and practical skills in
workshops. These programs are employment-oriented and vary in the
number of hours needed to complete them. Shorter courses prepare
students for employment only, with no access to higher education;
the longer courses include academic courses and do offer access to
higher education. Beginning in the 1990s, graduates of any of these
programs could teach their specialization in technical schools. Several
secondary schools offer agricultural training in a wide range of
specializations, such as irrigation, cultivation of fruit trees and wine
production, and so on. Practical experience is required. As in other
technical schools, students go through a six-year course of study, at
the end of which they can advance to the university or no university
programs.
Unless students need to work full-time to help their families, they may
continue their education at secondary school. Those who want to go
to university must attend secondary school for at least five years and
take the “bachillerato exam”. Commercial and vocational schools are
available for those who want careers in commerce, agriculture,
fashion or technical occupations such as automotive mechanics.
In December 2006 the Chamber of Deputies of the Argentine
Congress approved a new National Education Law restoring the old
system of primary followed by secondary education, making
secondary education obligatory and a right, and increasing the length
of compulsory education to 13 years. The government vowed to put
the law in effect gradually, starting in 2007.
Argentina's network of vocational schools, many under the auspices
of the National Technological University (UTN), has historically given
students viable alternatives, as well.

Higher Education in Argentina

Argentine higher education system is based, since its conception
during the colonial period, on the Spanish higher education system,
which is basically a Continental education system (opposed to the
Anglo-Saxon Model). Since its foundation, it was focused on the
teaching of Professions offering Professional degrees.
It is divided in three levels.
Tertiary Education level: 1- to 3-years degrees related to education
or technical professions like Teachers, Technicians.
University level: 4- to 6-years Professional education taught at
Universities offering four different degrees Licentiate, Professorship
Engineering degree, Medic Title, Attorney Title.
Post-graduate level: This is a specialized and research-oriented
education level. It is roughly divided in a first sub-level where a
Specialist degree or Master degree can be obtained and a higher sub-
level where a Doctorate degree could be achieved.
Higher education includes private and national universities and
institutions that provide teacher training and advanced training in
technical careers.
University education is provided by public universities, either national
or provincial, and by private universities. Since 1955, university
entrance has been open to all students who have completed
secondary school. Some public universities, such as the University of
Buenos Aires, require an orientation course or an entrance exam, or
both, and many private universities require other qualifications. The
traditional university degree is awarded after five or six years of full-
time study in a specialized field. Degrees may be obtained for
completion of part of a program or for completion of a training
program that enables the degree-holder to work in a specific
profession. The academic year normally consists of two, four-month
terms, and full-time students usually take three classes per term for
six hours each week. Lecturing remains the principal method of
instruction.
The academic year begins in March and ends in December, although
the calendar may vary somewhat from one department to another
within the university. The typical university consists of independent
schools or colleges in a particular field, such as law or agriculture, and
these faculties are free to vary their grading system, calendar, and
academic procedures. Universities design their own curricula and
degree programs, but the National Authority for University Affairs
approves them. Universities communicate with one another by way of
the National Interuniversity Council, one for public and another for
private universities, both composed of university rectors (presidents).
Student unions also influence university policy, but neither the
rectors' committees nor the student unions have any official authority
over policy.
Funding
One important aspect is that Public universities at Tertiary Education
level and at University level are tuition-free and open to anyone.
Although it is not required to pay any kind of fee at universities,
hidden costs of education, like transportation and materials, are often
neglected and a lack of a well developed and widespread scholarship
system forbids students from low-income families to enroll in public
universities: for each eight students from the 20 % upper-income
class, there is only one student from the 20 % lower-income class. In
contrast, post-graduate education requires some form of funding and
it is generally not free.
Additionally, financial pressure to freshman college students force
them to join the work force before graduation, thus it is very common
for young students to have full-time jobs and at the same time study
at the University. This is consider beneficial because when the
students graduate they already have working experience, though this
could also be one of the causes of the high ratio of dropouts.