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ArgentinaFrom Researching Virtual Initiatives in EducationReport created by multiple authors with main contributor for higher education Gertjan, a student, formerly at ATiT. Main contributor for schools and colleges Giles Pepler
Partners and experts situated in ArgentinaNone.
Argentina in a nutshell Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic (Spanish: República Argentina), is a country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city. It is the second largest country in South America after Brazil and eighth in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations, though Mexico, Colombia and Spain are more populous. Its continental area is 2,766,890 square kilometres (1,068,300 sq mi), between the Andes mountain range in the west and the southern Atlantic Ocean in the east and south. Argentina borders Paraguay and Bolivia to the north, Brazil and Uruguay to the northeast, and Chile to the west and south. The population of Argentina is just over 40 million. The country is currently classified as an Upper-Middle Income Country or as a secondary emerging market by the World Bank. A recognised middle power, Argentina is Latin America's third-largest economy. Within Latin America, Argentina has the fifth highest nominal GDP per capita and the highest in purchasing power terms. Argentina is a founding member of the United Nations, Mercosur, the Union of South American Nations, the OEI, the World Bank Group and the World Trade Organization, and is one of the G-15 and G-20 major economies. The Argentine Constitution of 1853 mandates a separation of powers into executive, legislative, and judicial branches at the national and provincial level. The political framework is a federal representative democratic republic, in which the President is both head of state and head of government, complemented by a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power resides in the President and the Cabinet. The President and Vice President are directly elected to four-year terms and are limited to two terms. Cabinet ministers are appointed by the President and are not subject to legislative ratification. The current President is Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, with Julio Cobos as Vice President. Legislative power is vested in the bicameral National Congress, comprising a 72-member Senate and a 257-member Chamber of Deputies. Senators serve six-year terms, with one-third standing for re-election every two years. Members of the Chamber of Deputies are elected to four-year terms by a proportional representation system, with half of the members standing for re-election every two years. A third of the candidates presented by the parties must be women. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The Supreme Court has seven members appointed by the President in consultation with the Senate. The judges of all the other courts are appointed by the Council of Magistrates of the Nation, a secretariat composed of representatives of judges, lawyers, the Congress and the executive. Though declared the capital in 1853, Buenos Aires did not become the official Capital until 1880. The 1994 amendment of the Argentine Constitution included a limited form of devolution to Buenos Aires. The national government reserved control of the Argentine Federal Police (the federally administered city force), the Port of Buenos Aires, and other faculties, however. Argentina is divided into twenty-three provinces (provincias; singular provincia) and one Autonomous City. Buenos Aires Province is divided into 134 partidos, while the remaining Provinces are divided into 376 departments (departamentos). Departments and Partidos are further subdivided into municipalities or districts. With the exception of Buenos Aires Province, the nation's provinces have chosen in recent years to enter into treaties with other provinces, forming four federated regions aimed at fostering economic integration and development: Center Region, Patagonic Region, New Cuyo Region, and the Argentine Greater North Region. Sourced from Wikipedia's page on Argentina Education in ArgentinaAfter independence, Argentina constructed a national public education system in comparison to other nations, placing the country high up in the global rankings of literacy. Today the country has a literacy rate of 97%, and three in eight adults over age 20 have completed secondary school studies or higher. Education in Argentina is a responsibility shared by the national government, the provinces and federal district and private institutions, though basic guidelines have historically been set by the Ministry of Education.
Education in Argentina is divided in three phases as in other countries: primary education or "Basic General Education", secondary education and higher education. Adults in Argentina have spent an average of 8.8 years in school - the highest amount for any South American country. The primary completion rate is 99% and 79.1% of young people are enrolled in secondary establishments. The Argentine school system consists of an elementary or lower school level lasting six or seven years, and a secondary or high school level lasting between five to six years. In the 1990s, the system was split into different types of high school instruction, called Educacion Secundaria and the Polimodal. Some provinces adopted the Polimodal while others did not. A project in the executive branch to repeal this measure and return to a more traditional secondary level system was approved in 2006 Compulsory education lasts for 9 years, and comprises grades first to ninth and is called Educación General Básica or EGB (Basic General Education). It is divided in three ciclos (cycles):
The first 6 years are spent in primary schools and EGB III comprises the first 3 years of the six year secondary curriculum. EGB is mandatory to all students, although desertion is high in some parts of the country and laws intended to prevent this are rarely enforced. Once the EGB phase is completed, the student finishes the mandatory schooling period and can choose to start secondary education, called Polimodal, which usually last two to three more years. The third stage is higher education. Education is funded by tax payers at all levels except for the majority of graduate studies. There are many private school institutions in the primary, secondary and university levels. Around 11.4 million people were enrolled in formal education of some kind in 2006, including 1.5 million in the nation's 85 universities. Adapted from Wikipedia Adapted from Education in Argentina Schools in ArgentinaThere are three levels of schools: 17726 Preschool establishments (Inicial):
22227 Primary schools (Primaria):
Primary education comprises the first two EGB cycles (grades 1–6). Because of the system that was in place until 1995 (7 years of primary school plus 5 or 6 of secondary school), primary schools used to offer grades 1–7, although most are already converted to accept 8th and 9th, others chose to eliminate 7th grade altogether, forcing the students to complete the 3rd cycle in another institution. 13412 Secondary (Secundaria):
Secondary education in Argentina is called Polimodal ("polymodal", that is, having multiple modes), since it allows the student to choose his/her orientation. Polimodal is not yet obligatory but its completion is a requirement to enter colleges across the nation. Polimodal is usually 3 years of schooling, although some schools have a fourth year. Conversely to what happened on primary schools, most secondary schools in Argentina contained grades 8th and 9th, plus Polimodal (old secondary) but then started converting to accept also 7th grade students, thus allowing them to keep their same classmates for the whole EGB III cycle. This is different however, in the city of Buenos Aires (and several provinces), where Polimodal does not exist. The capital keeps in use the Traditional Argentine education system, composed of seven years of primary education (EGB I and EGB II, with the last two years composing EGB III) and five years of secondary education (the first three of which are of a more general education, with more focus on the specilisation starting in the last two years). The secondary education system is thus divided in three large groups, "Bachiller" schools (very similar to grammar schools with a huge emphasis on humanistic studies), "Comercial" schools (focusing on economic sciences and everything related to it) and "Escuelas Técnicas" (with a focus on technical and scientific assignments, this one having the particularity of lasting six years instead of five, it used to be called "Industrial") each one subdivided in more specific orientations related to its main branch. Currently there are no plans to adopt the Polimodal system in the city of Buenos Aires, but rather, several provinces with that system are seriously considering a reform of it, with many opting for the traditional system still used in Buenos Aires. Examples of provinces that use the Traditional system include (besides the capital): Córdoba, Río Negro, and La Pampa. Argentina's network of vocational schools, many under the auspices of the National Technological University (UTN), have historically given students viable alternatives, as well. Approximately 25% of Argentinian children attend private schools. Of those, some 63% attend a private school managed by the Catholic Church, and the rest attend non-religious schools. Many private schools follow the European system or the American school system and a few follow the American school calendar (from September to June, with breaks at Christmas and Easter in addition to the long summer holiday) as well. The Ministry of Education designs the curriculum and standards that all schools in Argentina must meet in order to be accredited, so there are no great variations in core content taught in the public versus the private system. However, private schools are given leeway to add and adapt courses to fit their philosophy and framework, and private schools generally offer better facilities and smaller class sizes because of their fee-based nature. In fact, they can be very expensive. One of the most popular American-style schools located in Buenos Aires, called Lincoln, costs between $10,000 (Kindergarten) and $16,000 (high school) per year. Information for 2008 from Ministry of Education and Guiding you Abroad Further and Higher education in ArgentinaArgentine higher education system is based, since its conception during the colonial period, on the old and dogmatic Spanish higher education system, which is basically a Continental education system (opposed to the Anglo-Saxon Model). An historic point took place in the Latin American University Revolution that finally paved the way to the modernisation of the Argentinian higher university systems as it is known nowadays. Since its foundation, it was focused on the teaching of Professions offering Professional degrees. It is divided in three levels .
Argentina maintains a network of 39 National universities, financed by the Ministry of Education since 1946. Private and parochial universities are also abundant, numbering 46 among the active institutions and they enroll about a sixth of the collegiate student body (see University reform in Argentina and List of Argentine universities). Summing up, over 1.5 million students attend institutions of higher learning in Argentina, annually (roughly half the population of college age). Argentina does not have a standard and common system of examination after high school, thus admission to universities is strictly defined by each university. Moreover, a steady degradation in primary and secondary education created a huge difference between the required level to enter a university and the level achieved by the high school students. Some universities like University of Buenos Aires cope with this issue by creating a 1-year shared program called CBC that students need to complete in order to join the university. This acts like some sort of admittance course, equivalent to matriculation. The doctoral fields of study in Argentina are generally research-oriented doctoral studies, leading mostly to the awarding of the degrees of Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Science, Doctor of Medicine, and Doctor of Law, among others. Enrollment in doctorate programs in Argentina is available to candidates having earned a Licentiate, Professorships Engineer's degree or Master's degree in a related area of study. Doctoral fields of study mostly pertain to one of five fields of knowledge: Applied Sciences, Basic Sciences, Health Sciences, Human Sciences and Social Sciences. The doctoral studies offered by the Argentine universities include multiple fields and do have national and international validity of the degrees granted.
Universities in ArgentinaNATIONAL UNIVERSITIES
Sourced from: http://www.me.gov.ar (Spanish) (also in PDF)
Polytechnics in ArgentinaColleges in ArgentinaThere are 2129 'Superior no universitaria' (non-university colleges) providing tertiary education:
Education reformSchoolsIn 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. Post-secondaryThe Argentine university reform of 1918 was a general modernisation of the universities, especially tending towards democratisation, brought about by student activism about the topics The demands of the students can be summarized in four or five main topics: university autonomy, co-government, scientific modernisation, tuition and secular education. The events started in Córdoba and spread to the rest of Argentina, and then through much of Latin America. Sourced from Wikipedia's page on University reform in Argentina. Administration and financeThe State, the provinces and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires are responsible for planning, organizing, supervising and financing the national education system, ensuring access to education at all levels and modalities, creating and managing state-run educational establishments. In turn, the national state creates and funds the National Universities. SchoolsPost-secondaryArgentina maintains a network of national universities that are financed by the Ministerio de Educación de la Nación and therefore tuition-free, since 1946. Although students are not required to pay any kind of fee at these 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 at all universities requires some form of funding and 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 considered 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. Private and parochial universities are also abundantly present, but their cost often reserves them only to more affluent students, and they enroll about a sixth of the collegiate student body. In all, over 1.5 million students attend institutions of higher learning in Argentina annually (roughly half the population of college age). Adapted from Education in Argentina Quality assuranceDirección Nacional de Información y Evaluación de la Calidad Educativa] DiNIECE) is a department of the Ministry, responsible for quality assurance across all non-university sectors of education. SchoolsPost-secondaryAcademic regulations governing doctorates, and their corresponding fields, in Argentina prescribe that all graduate courses must be accredited by the National Commission for University Evaluation and Accreditation. This entity stands as a public and decentralized body working under the jurisdiction of the Department of Education, Science and Technology. It administers the process of evaluation and accreditation for all doctorate programs, and is responsible for the institutional evaluation of all such programs at a national level. Graduate programs, including the Doctorados (PhDs), set standards per guidelines set forth by the Ministry of Science and Technology, together with the Universities Council. Additionally, external evaluations of the doctoral programs are carried out by the National Commission for University Evaluation and Accreditation, or private entities created to that effect, together with the participation of academic peers. Argentine institutions of higher education provide further accreditation by international establishments to many of their courses of studies. Under the ministry, the Dirección Nacional de Gestión Universitaria (National Bureau of University Management) is responsible for the following actions: - Coordinate the process of creation, modification and deletion of Private Universities Academic units or less, and the licensing procedures and curriculum in connection with the CONEAU which is the Comisión Nacional de Evaluación y Acreditación Universitaria (National Commission for University Evaluation and Accreditation)). - Understanding the regulation, monitoring and control of the processes of creation, modification and deletion of Private Universities Academic Units or less and in processing the update curricula in connection with the CONEAU. - Provide technical assistance in their areas of responsibility to the institutions that require it. - Develop proposals for minimum hourly charges, core curriculum and standards of professional practice intensity in the careers concerned. - Propose criteria for national validity of academic degrees and titles and understood in its application. - To perform the duties attached to the Technical Secretariat of the Council of Universities. Its national director is Mr. Jorge STEIM.
The ministry's web site is at http://www.me.gov.ar/spu/dngu/ (Official web site, Spanish) Information societyInternet in ArgentinaEducational internets in ArgentinaCopyright law in ArgentinaICT in education initiativesThis offers virtual education at all levels from secundaria ciclo básico to higher education. The Ministry of Education department for quality assurance operates a Virtual Campus for internal training in evaluating educational policy, training education managers and teachers and facilitating public access to information. Its stated aims are improving quality and equity. Its general purpose is training and updating in the analysis of qualitative and quantitative information from the education sector, with the aim of establishing a relationship between the different areas and teams are responsible for the survey of information and dealing with HR management in the state sector. Its specific objectives are:
Virtual initiatives in schoolsEl Surco. La Escuela Virtual Primary, secondary and adults - Mendoza Argentina. Website is currently unreachable - this is Facebook page OLPC Argentina OLPC reports that there are 60,000 XO laptops in Argentina (http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Argentina) See also the blog posting at http://blog.laptop.org/2010/08/05/argentina-embraces-olpc-supports-bolivia/ OER initiatives in schoolsVirtual initiatives in post-secondary educationThe ColegioVirtual.org directory gives a full list of online courses and virtual campuses for higher education and professional training in the Buenos Aires area.
The Universidad Virtual de Quilmes (Virtual University of Quilmes): The Quilmes Virtual University Program (Program UVQ) is the Internet's educational proposal of the National University of Quilmes. This is a non-face education initiative that uses integrated software system (Virtual Campus) as the means and environment for the implementation of its proposals for undergraduate and postgraduate training. The first virtual classroom was opened in March 1999, being the pioneer Argentina UNQ university in pursuing these projects.
Distance LearningProjects run programs or in the form of distance education are presented for the first time, in order to gain official recognition and the resulting national validity at the level of university education both public and private, national, provincial and international. Relevant information:
Address: Distance Education Unit Abroad Av Belgrano 1370 Piso 12 [1000] Capital Federal Ph: [011] 4382-4146 Fax: [011] 4382-4146 Director Graduate Griselda Beatriz Ascheri consultasuede@eude.edu.ar
e-LearningEDUTIC: "Our Chamber brings together organizations working in distance education and virtual training outside the country. The e-learning companies, consulting firms and organizations working with virtual training and educational institutions wishing to join can contact us directly to participate in EDUTIC. Additionally, we have a series of workspaces and access to information and events for all professionals in the area interested in participating." http://www.edutic.org.ar/ (Spanish)
http://www.fedra.org.ar/ (Spanish)
http://www.riu.edu.ar/index.html (Spanish)
Interesting ProgrammesOER initiatives in post-secondary educationLessons learntReferences
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