This page consists of 4 interviews with students and teachers in Argentina. The first three summaries are not in the exact words of the interviewees. The last interview was received as written responses.
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Interview with Fernando Gonzalez Correa, who is a "profesor" in "Letras" and studies at the Universidad Nacional del Sur in Bahía Blanca, Argentina.
What are some general characteristics of the educational system in Argentina?
Here we want education at all levels to be free, we don’t want anyone to be required to pay matriculation fees because we look at education as a right rather than a service.
How do the administrations of universities in Argentina function?
The director of the university is the most important figurehead here, but most often he/she is an alumni who gives advice about the management of the university. This is because former students are the most dynamic, most important group of people to offer opinions in addition to the current students. These are the people most invested in the success of the school. There were huge policy changes during a progressive period of legislation to ensure this more student-centered direction of school management. Each student votes for who is the school’s director / who sits on the decision making board. Students also vote for student representatives who are in charge of the center of studies and who influence the school’s management.
Are you a student?
I received a degree of “professor of letters” and I am also a student in research/investigation.
What exactly does "professor of letters" mean?
It basically means I’m licensed to teach classes in primary school, high school, or university. The other part of my degree focuses on research and investigation.
How accessible are the universities for people from different socioeconomic classes?
Here in Argentina there is a very curios phenomenon. Formally university has to be accessible to all social classes, but the truth is people from lower classes are often shut out of the universities. For one, it’s harder for poor students to complete primary and highschool education. Secondly, there is a group of academics in the university system who are exclusionary. This is because in reality, after education was made free there was a huge influx of students and little resources to match. There are not enough professors and materials even if it is technically possible to fit a maximum of students into a given classroom. So, practically every major makes the first year of classes extremely difficult for students to pass. Exams and homework are the most difficult they will ever be in a process of “filtration” where students coming from worse highschools will become discouraged and de-motivated to continue on with their education. After the first year there is a nearly 50% drop out rate. Another issue of privilege, which students are fighting against, is how difficult it is to work and be a student in a public university and work at the same time. Professors from some particular majors refuse to coordinate their classes so that they all follow in a given chunk of the day. Rather classes are dispersed throughout morning, afternoon, and night making it difficult for students who need to work regular hours to help sustain themselves and their families to simultaneously receive an education.
What is the difference between private and public schools?
Private schools have some advantages. For one, there are less students and the process of filtration isn’t the same because there is a cap on number of students so exams and homework are less difficult the first year so retention rate is better. Additionally, in this case professors assume more students are also working in order to pay matriculation fees so classes are organized so that students can also hold another job. Finally, because students are paying, they generally finish their education faster whereas in a public university you might intend to be in school for five years and end up studying for 8, this is very common.
And in public school you genuinely do not need to pay for anything?
Well you only need to worry about paying for extra materials like photocopies. But, even these you can find for cheap at the student center or receive special scholarships to help pay for them. If you live far away you can receive a scholarship to pay for materials close to you if you don’t have access to the student center.
Is it difficult to receive these scholarships?
I don’t think so, there are sufficient scholarships. They are generally not merit based but need based so you don’t need to worry about grades going in. The harder thing is to sustain your scholarship while you are studying, that is when you have to prove you are keeping your grades up.
Interview with Pedro Izrabal, who is a professor in Philosophy and graduated from the Universidad Nacional del Sur. He works in the province of Río Negro and teaches in a secondary school.
What is the difference between public and private universities and why do students choose to go to private universities if the public universities are free?
There aren’t many countries in the world that have free public universities. In the public universities in Argentina, although you don’t pay for education, you do have to pay for materials such as books. The public universities are a bit selective. The public and private universities are different types of universities – for example private universities teach religion so people may go there for reasons of faith, or because they can pay. But there are more people in the public universities than there are in the private universities.
How accessible are the public universities for low-income/working class students?
If you come from a family with few resources, it is difficult to attend university because you have to work to support yourself and your family. There are some scholarships in the university, but there aren’t enough and it is difficult to study and work at the same time. If you come from a working class family it is very difficult to stay in the university. There are scholarships from the state and from the universities themselves. Sometimes the student centers organize themselves politically to provide scholarships, for example scholarships to make photocopies for people who cannot afford to pay to make photocopies. But very few lower class students graduate from the university while middle class students can stay in university. Also, there is a lot of inequality in Argentine society. There is an important middle class, but there is a lot of poverty also, this is the case in all of Latin America.
What is the relationship between the administration and students in the public universities?
In the universities there is always a group of students who organize themselves politically to obtain more rights for students. But not all the students are involved, not all have a consciousness of the importance of political participation. In all the universities there are student centers, organisms of students who defend the interests of students, that are kind of like student unions. The student centers fight for better conditions for students and more equal education. Many times professors and people in administrative positions have interests that contradict those of the students. Sometimes the people in administrative conditions have the idea that students don’t know, that they don’t want to study, that they don’t want to work – these are prejudices that some people in administrative positions have.
Have there been large student protests in the past few years, or are there student movements that involve students from different universities?
There isn’t a large student movement in Argentina. In Chile there is. Chile is fighting for free public education. There were important student movements in the twentieth century in Argentina, but now Argentina isn’t in a time of lots of student movements. For example in 1918 there was an important student movement for university reform and in 1969 students accompanied workers from the Curdobaso (?) labor union to protest.
How are the workers treated in the public universities?
The workers don’t have good salaries or working conditions. The universities don’t hire the workers themselves, they hire companies who hire the workers. The conditions are not good.
What changes do you want in the education system in Argentina?
A school for everyone, an inclusive school. Right now that universities are elite. A university for everyone, not only for people from the middle and upper classes, but also from the lower classes. The challenge is to have high quality education while having a university for everyone, this is the question across the world. Education is a human right.
A few perspectives from an interview with Victor Gonnet, who studied “letras” in the Universidad Nacional de la Plata (UNLP), one of the largest public universities in Argentina. The interview was not recorded, so we lost some points and details.
He is very proud that the education in Argentina is free, and that in general education is a right in Argentina. He is from the working class, and all of his education before university was in public schools. There is discrimination; many can enter the university but can’t stay there. The majority of students who go to university are children of professors or professionals.
The police can’t enter the public universities by force, although if someone is robbed for example they can enter. This is in part because during the dictatorship there was a lot of repression and many people were killed, so now the police can’t enter the public universities by force and the students have more rights.
A few points regarding the differences between public and private universities in Argentina: private university education has a different purpose/students go to private universities to obtain different things. Victor Gonnet said that if you want to be a really successful lawyer, famous architect or in the highest social class, you might chose a private university. The level and quality of the education aren’t different, just the perspectives.
And one example of student protests against the cost of the cafeteria. In the past it cost 1 peso, but not it costs 8 pesos and the cost is rising. If there hadn’t been student protests and marches that price would be even higher. Also, the state has repressed many protests in general.
Students organize in student centers and there are student representatives who can talk with the administration. There are ways students can obtain money, for example to help with photocopying, but they can also use it for student organizing. Student organizing is often done by mouth, not by social networks. There is a long history of protests and strikes in Argentina.
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Interview with Fernando Gonzalez Correa, who is a "profesor" in "Letras" and studies at the Universidad Nacional del Sur in Bahía Blanca, Argentina.
What are some general characteristics of the educational system in Argentina?
Here we want education at all levels to be free, we don’t want anyone to be required to pay matriculation fees because we look at education as a right rather than a service.
How do the administrations of universities in Argentina function?
The director of the university is the most important figurehead here, but most often he/she is an alumni who gives advice about the management of the university. This is because former students are the most dynamic, most important group of people to offer opinions in addition to the current students. These are the people most invested in the success of the school. There were huge policy changes during a progressive period of legislation to ensure this more student-centered direction of school management. Each student votes for who is the school’s director / who sits on the decision making board. Students also vote for student representatives who are in charge of the center of studies and who influence the school’s management.
Are you a student?
I received a degree of “professor of letters” and I am also a student in research/investigation.
What exactly does "professor of letters" mean?
It basically means I’m licensed to teach classes in primary school, high school, or university. The other part of my degree focuses on research and investigation.
How accessible are the universities for people from different socioeconomic classes?
Here in Argentina there is a very curios phenomenon. Formally university has to be accessible to all social classes, but the truth is people from lower classes are often shut out of the universities. For one, it’s harder for poor students to complete primary and highschool education. Secondly, there is a group of academics in the university system who are exclusionary. This is because in reality, after education was made free there was a huge influx of students and little resources to match. There are not enough professors and materials even if it is technically possible to fit a maximum of students into a given classroom. So, practically every major makes the first year of classes extremely difficult for students to pass. Exams and homework are the most difficult they will ever be in a process of “filtration” where students coming from worse highschools will become discouraged and de-motivated to continue on with their education. After the first year there is a nearly 50% drop out rate. Another issue of privilege, which students are fighting against, is how difficult it is to work and be a student in a public university and work at the same time. Professors from some particular majors refuse to coordinate their classes so that they all follow in a given chunk of the day. Rather classes are dispersed throughout morning, afternoon, and night making it difficult for students who need to work regular hours to help sustain themselves and their families to simultaneously receive an education.
What is the difference between private and public schools?
Private schools have some advantages. For one, there are less students and the process of filtration isn’t the same because there is a cap on number of students so exams and homework are less difficult the first year so retention rate is better. Additionally, in this case professors assume more students are also working in order to pay matriculation fees so classes are organized so that students can also hold another job. Finally, because students are paying, they generally finish their education faster whereas in a public university you might intend to be in school for five years and end up studying for 8, this is very common.
And in public school you genuinely do not need to pay for anything?
Well you only need to worry about paying for extra materials like photocopies. But, even these you can find for cheap at the student center or receive special scholarships to help pay for them. If you live far away you can receive a scholarship to pay for materials close to you if you don’t have access to the student center.
Is it difficult to receive these scholarships?
I don’t think so, there are sufficient scholarships. They are generally not merit based but need based so you don’t need to worry about grades going in. The harder thing is to sustain your scholarship while you are studying, that is when you have to prove you are keeping your grades up.
Interview with Pedro Izrabal, who is a professor in Philosophy and graduated from the Universidad Nacional del Sur. He works in the province of Río Negro and teaches in a secondary school.
What is the difference between public and private universities and why do students choose to go to private universities if the public universities are free?
There aren’t many countries in the world that have free public universities. In the public universities in Argentina, although you don’t pay for education, you do have to pay for materials such as books. The public universities are a bit selective. The public and private universities are different types of universities – for example private universities teach religion so people may go there for reasons of faith, or because they can pay. But there are more people in the public universities than there are in the private universities.
How accessible are the public universities for low-income/working class students?
If you come from a family with few resources, it is difficult to attend university because you have to work to support yourself and your family. There are some scholarships in the university, but there aren’t enough and it is difficult to study and work at the same time. If you come from a working class family it is very difficult to stay in the university. There are scholarships from the state and from the universities themselves. Sometimes the student centers organize themselves politically to provide scholarships, for example scholarships to make photocopies for people who cannot afford to pay to make photocopies. But very few lower class students graduate from the university while middle class students can stay in university. Also, there is a lot of inequality in Argentine society. There is an important middle class, but there is a lot of poverty also, this is the case in all of Latin America.
What is the relationship between the administration and students in the public universities?
In the universities there is always a group of students who organize themselves politically to obtain more rights for students. But not all the students are involved, not all have a consciousness of the importance of political participation. In all the universities there are student centers, organisms of students who defend the interests of students, that are kind of like student unions. The student centers fight for better conditions for students and more equal education. Many times professors and people in administrative positions have interests that contradict those of the students. Sometimes the people in administrative conditions have the idea that students don’t know, that they don’t want to study, that they don’t want to work – these are prejudices that some people in administrative positions have.
Have there been large student protests in the past few years, or are there student movements that involve students from different universities?
There isn’t a large student movement in Argentina. In Chile there is. Chile is fighting for free public education. There were important student movements in the twentieth century in Argentina, but now Argentina isn’t in a time of lots of student movements. For example in 1918 there was an important student movement for university reform and in 1969 students accompanied workers from the Curdobaso (?) labor union to protest.
How are the workers treated in the public universities?
The workers don’t have good salaries or working conditions. The universities don’t hire the workers themselves, they hire companies who hire the workers. The conditions are not good.
What changes do you want in the education system in Argentina?
A school for everyone, an inclusive school. Right now that universities are elite. A university for everyone, not only for people from the middle and upper classes, but also from the lower classes. The challenge is to have high quality education while having a university for everyone, this is the question across the world. Education is a human right.
A few perspectives from an interview with Victor Gonnet, who studied “letras” in the Universidad Nacional de la Plata (UNLP), one of the largest public universities in Argentina. The interview was not recorded, so we lost some points and details.
He is very proud that the education in Argentina is free, and that in general education is a right in Argentina. He is from the working class, and all of his education before university was in public schools. There is discrimination; many can enter the university but can’t stay there. The majority of students who go to university are children of professors or professionals.
The police can’t enter the public universities by force, although if someone is robbed for example they can enter. This is in part because during the dictatorship there was a lot of repression and many people were killed, so now the police can’t enter the public universities by force and the students have more rights.
A few points regarding the differences between public and private universities in Argentina: private university education has a different purpose/students go to private universities to obtain different things. Victor Gonnet said that if you want to be a really successful lawyer, famous architect or in the highest social class, you might chose a private university. The level and quality of the education aren’t different, just the perspectives.
And one example of student protests against the cost of the cafeteria. In the past it cost 1 peso, but not it costs 8 pesos and the cost is rising. If there hadn’t been student protests and marches that price would be even higher. Also, the state has repressed many protests in general.
Students organize in student centers and there are student representatives who can talk with the administration. There are ways students can obtain money, for example to help with photocopying, but they can also use it for student organizing. Student organizing is often done by mouth, not by social networks. There is a long history of protests and strikes in Argentina.