"Argentina flag"
The academic year in Argentina runs for about 200 days from March to December. Schools are closed on national holidays such as Easter and Good Friday. There is a two-week vacation in July. Usually, schools run four and a half hours on the weekdays and on Saturdays students have extracurricular activities. The Educational system of Argentina is divided into four levels. The kindergarten or pre-primary level (3-5- years-old) is not compulsory but the primary or elementary level is compulsory and divided into 7 grades which need to be completed until 14 years of age. Primary level enrolls students of age between 6-12 years of age and the adults who need instructions at this level also attend with them. The youth between the ages of 12-17 years attend the secondary level or 16 years if they are employed in any field. The vocational or professional training programs may vary from 3 to 8 years depending upon the requirement of their respective career.
University Apparatus
"University Apparatus"
University Education is available at national provincial and private universities and the criteria for admission may range from entrance exams, orientation course, and other qualifications. Traditional universities award degrees for 5 to 6 years of full –time study in the specialized field that enables the students to work well in their respective careers. The academic year begins in March and ends in December divided into two trimesters and three classes per term for six hours a week depending upon various departments of the universities. Short-term degree programs take two to three years to complete such as computer programming and librarianship. The intermediate degree takes three years to complete and the student is immediately placed in an on-job training after which a license is issued to work as a professional. Other degrees may vary from 5-7 years which include master’s degree, law, medicine, and engineering.
Notable Changes In University Education
"Notable Changes In
University Education"
Since 1980’s graduate degree programs have emphasized more on training for specialized professions rather adopting research-oriented approach.
This is the reason that only about 7 % students enroll themselves for postgraduate degree programs because they get a job after pursuing a graduate degree. This results in a major deficit of people who have attained higher education. Another discrepancy in education arises because of a major gap between rural and urban regions as many of the provinces are isolated due to the geographical conditions and 50 % population lives in Buenos Aires which is the capital and one of the metropolitan cities in Argentina. As a consequence, the educational attainment is far lower in the rural provinces as compared to the cities. The re-establishment of democratic government in 1983 has made many improvements to expand the rural literacy rate and more than 17000 adult schools have been built and numerous secondary and night schools have been set up in the rural lands.
Some Facts And Figures
"Some Facts And Figures"
According to the statistics of 2005, 12.2 million students of Argentina constitute 30% of total population. Out of this aggregate, 81.3% are in basic level while 98% of the students are in secondary (EGB1 and 2) level. The EGB3 and polymodal figures are 78% and 53% respectively. The literacy rate in Argentina is quite higher than the Latin American countries i.e. 94.3%. The number of students has been doubled in primary level and constant in secondary level between 1991and 2007. Between the years 2001 and 2002 the economic crisis had a severe impact on the gross enrollment ratio which fell from 117.8% to 112.7% in the primary level and 96.7 % to 86%.
One of the striking features of the education system of Argentina is that the more teachers are employed as compared to OECD countries but a high proportion of the teachers are working as administrative personnel.
