What education looks like in Argentina | WPN World People News

Reaching equitable learning in Argentina’s rural areas

In the Calchaquies Valleys, in the northwest of Argentina, the school day starts after the sun rises over the mountains. Unlike in cities, many children in rural areas walk several kilometers to school and they need sunlight to get there safely. Sometimes if lucky, they can get a ride with their teacher in his or her car. On rainy days, it gets particularly hard to reach school. This situation is similar for 15,000 rural schools countrywide, some of which may be located on small islands.

Education coverage rates in Argentina are among the highest in Latin America, and in recent years, the availability of resources in the sector has expanded at an unprecedented rate. Between 2003 and 2011, budget allocations have increased from 3.5% to around 6% of GDP. However, very important challenges regarding equity and quality of the education system still remain, especially in rural areas.

The data for Argentina in the World Bank’s Human Capital Index is disturbing: a child who starts school at age 4 can expect to complete 13.1 years of schooling by their 18th birthday. Factoring in what children actually learn during that time, expected years of education are only 8.9 years. Moreover, the recent Learning Poverty indicator revealed that 54% of Argentine children cannot read and fully understand a short text by the age of 10. With these results, Argentina falls behind seven countries in Latin America.

While these statistics are nationwide, the reality in rural schools is even more challenging. Pre-school participation among 4-year-olds, secondary school coverage, and primary efficiency rates (repetition, dropout) are lower in rural areas, where 9% of the population live. A proportion of rural population are indigenous peoples who live in small and isolated communities and have incomes well below the poverty line.For a long time, rural schools had been marginalized, but since 2005, a public program has boosted investments to close the gap between urban and rural students. The Rural Education Improvement Project (PROMER), supported by the World Bank since its creation, has helped achieve several results in support of the poor living in rural areas.

So far, some key results are:

· Reduction by half the number of 6-year-olds in 1st grade who did not attend preschool

· Increase the access of students completing the 7th grade to the 8th grade of schooling from 77.8% to 85%

· Increase the access of students completing the 6th grade to the 7th grade of schooling from 91.6% to 93%

· Improve promotion rates in grades 1 to 6 from 85.3% to 91%

· Ensure that 3000 rural schools can have at least one graduate teacher from the diploma program in math and Spanish

“The first project focused on improving much needed infrastructure and equipment in rural primary schools, while the second project (approved in 2014) is supporting priority education policies like expanding preschool among 4-year-olds, enrollment in secondary education, and strengthening creative pedagogic strategies”, says Helena Rovner, Senior Education Specialist at the World Bank.

National standardized tests carried out in 2016 and 2018 confirmed this has been the right pathway. Rural students are taking the lead in some areas, in particular at the primary level. They are performing better in language and mathematics than children in urban schools. Multi-grade classrooms, a common model in rural areas, have better learning results. Moreover, children of rural schools express a better bond between peers and teachers and show greater emotional well-being in the classroom. They also report fewer cases of discrimination and bullying than their peers in urban schools.

“In rural schools, it is very common that one teacher works with a group of students from 1st -3rd level or 4-7th level, or even with a single group that gather all ages. This practice facilitates teaching at the right level in a natural way: teachers learn how to deal with diversity, and older children become mentors for the youngest ones”, explains Rovner.

However, at the secondary level, opportunities significantly narrow for teenagers in rural areas, both in access and in the continuity of studies and academic results. There are only 3,500 secondary schools compared to 10,500 primary schools in rural Argentina.

“Although we have to keep academic outcomes and decrease repetition in primary school, major challenges remain in universalizing secondary education, with a supply deficit and a quality deficit related to a low relevance of content and poor learning outcomes in reading, writing and math,” analyzes Sergio España, the country’s recognized specialist in rural education.

In this sense, the PROMER project supports investments to build new classrooms, but also promotes a new paradigm in secondary education, trying to change a typically urban pedagogical model designed in the 19th century.
Over the past years, Argentina has achieved important gains in improving basic services for the poorest communities. The World Bank has supported several investments to increase access to safe water, sanitation, and electricity; improve roads; strengthen social protection programs; and expand public health coverage.

All these projects have also contributed to improve results in rural schools. One example, the Renewable Energy for Rural Markets Project has connected 2000 scattered schools to modern energy services like solar panels or mini networks. The Norte Grande Water Infrastructure Project has improved the access to drinking water in many rural schools in Chaco, one of the poorest provinces of the country.

Overall, these projects are contributing to reduce inequities and improve the opportunities of people living in Argentina.

“An interesting pilot initiative that PROMER supports is the implementation of the 2030 Secondary scheme in some rural schools”, says Rovner. “It proposes a more flexible model of project-based learning, which adapts to diversity and to different levels of learning, strengthens socio-emotional skills, and is more suitable for rural contexts”.

School-based projects are also encouraged so children can learn theory and practice in a holistic way. “For example, some schools have chosen to plant vegetable gardens or raise pigs, and to teach the different subjects relating them to a locally relevant activity,” highlights Rovner.

Over the past years, Argentina has achieved important gains in improving basic services for the poorest communities. The World Bank has supported several investments to increase access to safe water, sanitation, and electricity; improve roads; strengthen social protection programs; and expand public health coverage.

All these projects have also contributed to improve results in rural schools. One example, the Renewable Energy for Rural Markets Project has connected 2000 scattered schools to modern energy services like solar panels or mini networks. The Norte Grande Water Infrastructure Project has improved the access to drinking water in many rural schools in Chaco, one of the poorest provinces of the country.

Overall, these projects are contributing to reduce inequities and improve the opportunities of people living in Argentina.

Source: World Bank