Argentina

Administration: Two official authorities are responsible for the educational system in Argentina, the national Constitution and the constitutions of the 22 provinces. The highest government office is the Ministry of Culture and Education, whose minister is appointed by the president and sits in the President's Cabinet. The minister oversees the political aspects of the educational system, and the executive functions are performed by the Secretariat of State, Education, and Culture, who works through various Councils. Under these Councils, five directorates work directly with schools in technical and administrative matters, proposing programs, textbooks, and the like. The provincial governments have their own Councils of Education, and various municipalities run a few schools. Private schools are regulated by the same offices as regulate the national schools. The curricula and credentials of teachers in the private schools are approved by one or more national and provincial offices. The certificates and diplomas awarded by private schools must be accredited by federal inspectors.

The complex nature of Argentina's educational system and its divided administrative authority promotes confusion, increases the costs of the system, slows progressive change, and complicates administrative control. For example, before 1992, most secondary and post-secondary education was supervised by at least nine different agencies. The vocational-technical secondary programs and one postsecondary teacher training institute for special programs are supervised by the National Council for Technical Education. Another agency supervises 43 agricultural secondary schools throughout Argentina, sharing its authority in some schools with another agency. The National Authority for Artistic Education controls another 60 schools, and National Authorities exist also for adult, special, and physical education.

Private secondary schools and institutions of higher education must apply to the Minister of Education for a review of teaching personnel, facilities, programs of study, and diplomas awarded; they also must submit plans of study for each degree program to the National Authority for University Affairs at the Ministry for approval in order to award official titles.

Financing of Education: The public educational system is financed mainly by the government, which allocates a certain percent of the national budget annually to the Ministry of Education and Culture. In turn, the Ministry finances all public schools, subsidizes private schools teaching the official curriculum, and funds specialized institutions, including the national university system. A few other ministries give some financial support to their own specialized educational establishments. The national Congress determines how much of the annual budget goes to education, and a part of tax revenues goes to education. The largest portion of the education budget goes to public schools, both national and provincial. Allocation to private schools always lags behind these two groups. In 1955, the percentage of the national budget for education was 10 percent. By 1974, it was 17 percent. In 1977, Argentina was spending US$40 per citizen on education; by comparison, the United States in the same year spent $250 per citizen. In 1987, however, allocation to education fell to 9 percent of all government expenditures. Between 1963 and 1988, expenditures decreased at a rate of 1.5 percent per year, while student enrollment increased annually at 5.9 percent.

University budgets have become the largest single item directly financed through the Ministry of Education. In theory, each university must submit a budget to the Ministry through the inter-university council, which is included in the yearly budge proposal to Congress. Wages and salaries make up more than 90 percent of the total budget.

Private institutions of higher learning are not subsidized by the government, and primary and secondary schools, to receive funding, must meet conditions stipulated by national authorities. School construction is financed in part by special taxes, and many schools are financed by bonds, fines for non-attendance, sales of public lands, and private donations. Technical schools benefit from a special technical education tax levied on certain industrial and commercial businesses and from proceeds derived from the sale of products made in school workshops. Since 1982, technical schools have been funded by the national government but, like other sectors of the educational system, they regularly face financial hardships. To supplement their budgets, they rely on local communities. In some areas, parent organizations help buy school equipment, and some schools exchange services with other schools.

Research: Research is only marginal to the function of the university; teaching is the university's main or, in some cases, its only function. University faculty are not required to conduct research for employment, advancement, or prestige. On the whole, research is left to independent research centers. By 1991, Argentina had 27 publicly financed research institutions, which have been converted into self-supporting private companies and foundations. At the National Council of Scientific and Technical Research, which finances projects for about 8,000 scientists and other researchers throughout the country, scientists earn from US$330 to US$800 a month.

Many independent research centers offer master's programs, sometimes in conjunction with universities. A research center may receive some support from the national government, but it receives most of its funding from private foundations, such as the Ford Foundation; from tuition; or from business grants. Many faculty members in these institutions come from abroad and many of them teach part-time at a university.

Alternative Education: Increasingly, Argentina is gaining a variety of educational institutions that are independent of the traditional four-level framework. A growing number of students enroll in the National Technological University, primarily a technological institute offering professional training. Established specifically for the working class, this university has 29 campuses throughout the country. Beyond secondary school, a variety of schools offer programs in a broad range of careers. Some offer master's programs in business administration and are designed for professionals with three to five years of experience who work and study part-time. Their relative high cost is usually paid by employers.

The National Authority for Artistic Education, for example, operates about 60 schools throughout the country at the secondary and tertiary levels that offer programs in fine arts, interior design, dance, music, and so on. Entering students must pass an artistic aptitude test and study from three to five years, depending on the program. Often, these students are also enrolled in an academic program at another school. Other tertiary institutions offer two- and four-year courses to those who wish to teach in vocational schools and in three-year courses for nurses and hospital assistants.

All branches of the military offer educational programs, primary schooling to those who have not completed elementary school, and postsecondary schooling to those who have. Curricula generally combine traditional academic disciplines with courses designed to prepare students for military duties or promotion. Both the national government and provincial authorities operate police academies where men and women are trained in a variety of law-enforcement fields. Two-year postsecondary programs train legal aides, security officers, and technical assistants in police law. Schooling that combines basic elementary school with vocational training is also available to prison inmates.

Special-Need Schools: A variety of primary schools serve students with special needs. Home schools offer both free boarding and educational services to abandoned, indigent, or orphaned children. Outdoor schools outside urban centers offer primary education to children with chronic health problems. Special-education schools are available for students with motor, sensory, or mental handicaps. Classes may be held at the student's home, at a hospital, or in a regular school building.