Training
The level of education is among the highest
in Latin America. Students start primary school at the
age of six. Before that, most people spend a year in
preschool, which is also subject to compulsory
schooling. Almost all children start in the nine-year
elementary school, Educación general básica. But only
eight out of ten go on to the next stage (Polimodal),
which covers three to four years and where one branch
prepares students for higher studies, while others are
more vocational.
It is mainly the provinces that are responsible for
the schools. Many schools are worn out, classes are
often large and there is a shortage of educated
teachers. In the 1990s, major savings were made in the
education system, but the years 2005-2010 were invested
in the school, among other things, teachers' salaries
were increased. At the same time, the number of private
schools has increased. Many of them are run by religious
communities, especially by the Catholic Church.
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Allcitypopulation: Offers a list of biggest cities in the state of
Argentina, including the capital city which hosts major colleges and
universities.
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COUNTRYAAH:
Country facts of Argentina, including geography profile, population statistics, and business data.
However, in an international study of school results,
Pisa, where the economic cooperation organization OECD
every three years measures school pupils' knowledge of
mathematics, reading comprehension and the natural
sciences of 15-year-olds, however, Argentina 2013 ranked
first in 59 of 65 countries.
All schools are secular, but students can ask for
religious education. The school year usually starts in
March and ends at the end of November, when the summer
holidays begin. In state schools, students wear school
uniforms at least until they turn twelve. English is a
compulsory subject in elementary school, right from
primary school.
In 2013, the country had 36 state universities and 20
private, most of them Catholic. The oldest one is in
Córdoba, founded in 1613. Eight out of ten students
attend state universities. It is common for Argentine
academics to apply abroad for a job.
The state universities have no tuition fees, but a
large part of the students have to work in order to
support themselves during their studies and many skip
their studies before they have graduated. The government
has promised to more than double its funding for
research by 2020, partly with the help of private money.
Six research areas will be prioritized: energy,
industry, health, agriculture, social development and
the environment and sustainable development.
FACTS - EDUCATION
Proportion of children starting primary
school
99.0 percent (2016)
Number of pupils per teacher in primary
school
17 (2008)
Reading and writing skills
99.1 percent (2016)
Public expenditure on education as a
percentage of GDP
13.5 percent (2016)
Public expenditure on education as a
percentage of the state budget
13.5 percent (2016)
2017
December
"Prosecutor Nisman was murdered"
December 26
A federal judge states that prosecutor Alberto Nisman
was murdered (see January 2015). Until
now, it has been officially claimed that Nisman
committed suicide, the day before he would testify
against then-President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.
The case involved a suspected darkening of the terrorist
act against a Jewish center in Buenos Aires in 1994. Now
the judge is suing a former Nisman employee, Diego
Lagomarsino, for involvement in the murder. In early
December, ex-President Fernández was indicted for
treason on suspicion of blackout.
Pension reform is approved despite protests
December 18
After a 17-hour debate, the Chamber of Deputies
approves the government's pension reform, with 129 votes
in favor and 117 against. The government is securing
victory through the support of the Peronists within the
Partido Justicialista and promises that more of the
country's tax revenue will go to the provinces. At the
same time, protests against pension reform continue.
Outside the congressional building, protesters clash
with riot police. At least 60 people are arrested and
over 200 injured. The protesters are accusing the
government of letting poor Argentinians pay the price
for the savings policy. The CGT union announces a
24-hour strike in support of the protesters, leading to
an almost total stop in public transport. Several
hundred flights are also canceled.
Protest against pension reform degenerates into
violence
December 14
Violence erupts in connection with a demonstration in
Buenos Aires in protest of a planned pension reform.
Military police deploy water cannons and tear gas at
stone-throwing protesters, but also shoot at them with
rubber bullets. The violence is causing the MP to
postpone today's session on pension reform. Trade union
representatives, according to the AFP news agency,
accuse the government of "militarizing" the area around
the congress building, while government officials claim
that it is the opposition that has resorted to methods
of violence (the protest was organized by trade unions).
The purpose of the pension reform is to save money. The
retirement age for men should be increased from 65 to 70
years, and from 60 to 63 years for women. Under the
current system, those who have paid into the system are
guaranteed to receive 80 percent of their salary for 30
years (with an upper limit for those with high
salaries). President Macri's attempt to speed up the
process has contributed to the dissatisfaction with the
reform.
New prosecution against Fernández de Kirchner
December 7
A federal judge is suing Cristina Fernández de
Kirchner for treason and is demanding that the Senate
abolish the prosecution's now-defunct immunity as a
senator so she can be remanded. Fernandez is accused of
participating in attempts to conceal Iran's involvement
in the terrorist attack on the Buenos Aires Jewish
Center in 1994. Prosecution is also being brought
against former Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman and the
judge orders him to be placed in house arrest (he is
allowed in early 2018 to travel to New York to undergo
cancer treatment). Two other former Fernandez employees
were also arrested.
November
Judge: Missing activist drowned
November 24
Santiago Maldonado, the activist who was found dead
after disappearing for 78 days, drowned in the Chubut
River and his body had been found there for at least 55
days when found. A judge in Buenos Aires states that.
However, representatives of the Maldonado family demand
that the police investigation be continued as little is
known about the circumstances of the death.
Harsh punishments for MR crimes during the
dictatorship
November 29th
Two former militants Alfredo Astiz and Jorge Eduardo
Acosta are sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes
against humanity. They are convicted of murdering and
torturing 100s of opposition activists at the Navy's
mechanical school in Buenos Aires during the military
dictatorship 1976-1983. Both men are already in prison
sentenced for similar crimes. A further 27 people are
sentenced to life imprisonment and 19 people are
sentenced to between 8 and 25 years in prison and six
people are acquitted. Since the legal process began in
2012, 11 people have died and three have been deemed too
ill to participate.
Submarine disappears without a trace
November 15
An Argentine submarine, ARA San Juan, vanishes
without a trace in the South Atlantic on its way to
Antarctica. There are 44 crew on board the boat. Despite
extensive searches, the submarine is not found. The
government dismisses the month after the head of the
Navy, Marcelo Eduardo Hipólito Srur.
Former Vice President Amado Boudou is arrested
November 3
Former Vice President and Finance Minister Amado
Boudou is arrested. He is accused, among other things,
of money laundering and of hiding assets. The judge
questions, among other things, how Boudou in 2010 got
money for an apartment purchase for his then girlfriend,
and claims that he had large incomes that cannot be seen
from where they came. The day before, a court has given
a go-ahead for a lawsuit against Cristina Fernández de
Kirchner for irregularities that must have been
committed during the period 2007 to 2015. However, she
cannot be arrested or subjected to house search as long
as she is in the Senate. At the end of October, even
before the Minister of Planning Julio de Vido, since the
Chamber of Deputies voted to lift his parliamentary
immunity, was also arrested. Among other things, he is
accused of having shot himself by charging an excess
price of liquid gas and embezzlement in connection with
a mining business. He denies that he was guilty of any
crime.
October
Election success for Macri and Cambiemos
22 October
President Macri's alliance Cambiemos strengthens its
position in the elections to the Senate and the Chamber
of Deputies and becomes the largest party in 13 of the
23 provinces. Cambiemos wins in them five most populous
areas: the capital of Buenos Aires, the province of
Buenos Aires and the provinces of Cordoba, Santa Fe and
Mendoza. However, it does not succeed in winning its own
majority in Congress. Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
secures a seat in the Senate, which means she cannot be
arrested if she is convicted of some of the crimes she
is accused of, but she comes second after Esteban
Bullrich, the government alliance candidate in Buenos
Aires province, which secures just over 41 percent of
the vote against slightly over 37 percent for the former
president. In terms of the whole country, Cambiemos
receives just under 41 percent of the vote, while
Fernández de Kirchner's Citizens Unit receives 21
percent and Partido justiceists nearly 14 percent.
Cambiemos increases from 86 seats to 107 in the Chamber
of Deputies, still a good bit from the 130 seats
required for its own majority in the House, and from 15
to 24 seats in the Senate (where 37 seats are required
for its own majority). The turnout is 78 percent.
Disappeared MR activist found dead
October 18
The missing human rights activist Santiago Maldonado
is dead. A corpse has been found at a river bank near
the site where Maldonado disappeared a few months
earlier. The body is taken to Buenos Aires to be
identified. All parties cancel their campaigns before
Sunday's congressional elections. Maldonado's
disappearance has attracted a lot of attention in
Argentina and has gradually become a chip in the
political game.
Reduced poverty gives Macri headwinds
October 5
New statistics show that poverty in Argentina fell to
just under 29 percent in the first half of 2017,
compared to slightly over 30 percent at the end of 2016.
That's good news for President Macri ahead of the
congressional elections later this month. Opinion polls
indicate that government candidate Esteban Bullrich is
leading former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
in the Senate election in the province of Buenos Aires.
Fernandez de Kirchner's case is also not helped by the
opening of lawsuits against Amado Boudou, who was her
vice president, and Julio de Vido, who was responsible
minister when a severe train accident occurred in 2012.
September
The government is accused of darkening the
disappearance of activists
September 14
The question of what has happened to activist
Santiago Maldonado continues to upset the Argentines.
The government is accused of trying to obscure what
happened to Maldonado and for disseminating false
information about the case. A federal prosecutor has
asked to hear several government members about this.
Protesters demand answers about missing MRI activist
2 September
Thousands of Argentines are demonstrating in Buenos
Aires and other cities, demanding that President Macri
do more to find out what has happened to human rights
activist Santiago Maldonado, who disappeared in
Patagonia in August in a protest for the rights of the
Mapuche people. A mapuche group has occupied an area in
the province of Chubut which they claim belongs to them
but which today has private owners. Maldonado was last
seen on August 1, when the Border Police (Gendarmería
Nacional, GN) intervened to remove a roadblock. The
police deny that they have arrested the man. Security
Minister Patricia Bullrich defends the border police and
is accused of supporting all kinds of explanations for
the disappearance that have nothing to do with GN.
August
Trade unions protest against Macri's economic
policies
22 August
Tens of thousands of people gather in Buenos Aires to
protest the government's economic policies and demand
that new jobs be created. The protest is organized by
the trade union movement CGT and other unions, together
with various leftist groups. Not all major unions
participate, and it is clear that the trade union
movement is fragmented and therefore not as influential
as before.
Cambiemos success in the primary elections
August 13th
The primary elections will be a success for the
Cambiemos government alliance,
which is doing better than expected. The government had
thought they could win in 8 out of 24 provinces, but
took home the victory in 11, including former President
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's home province of Santa
Cruz. At the same time, it is slow for Fernández de
Kirchner's new party Civic Unit and other Kirchner
faithful forces, although it achieves good results in
the capital (but Cambiemos becomes the largest party)
and in 4 provinces. Other Peronist factions also have
problems, as several political heavyweights make a lousy
choice. They still become the largest party grouping in
8 provinces.
June
Demonstration leads to violence
June 28
Several leftist groups such as Quebracho, Túpac
Amaru, Patria Justa, and the Kirchner faithful La
Cámpora are blocking important roads in Buenos Aires to
demand work and higher wages. The protest leads to
violent clashes between protesters and security forces.
Fernandez de Kirchner back in politics
June 26
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner tries to make a
political comeback and announces that she plans to run
in the Senate elections in October. She has previously
started a new party Unidad Ciudadana.
She has until now been one of President Macri's chief
critics and claims that the charges against her are
politically motivated. If she is elected to the Senate,
even if she is convicted, she will not be able to be
arrested as long as she is a Senator.
May
Activist leaders are prosecuted
May 16
Hebe de Bonafini, head of the human rights
organization and foundation Fundación Madres de Plaza de
Mayo, is charged with misuse of state funds that would
have gone to housing for low-income earners (see
May 2011). According to the indictment, the
equivalent of about 13 million US dollars has
disappeared. The 88-year-old Bonafini has repeatedly
refused to stand in court when she claims the case is
politically motivated.
Controversy surrounding the penal code for human
rights violations
May 10
Congress adopts a law prohibiting the early release
of people sentenced to prison for crimes against
humanityunder the military dictatorship. The law follows
a disputed ruling in the Supreme Court (HD) the week
before, according to which a sentence punished for human
rights violations would be reduced according to the
principle "2 against 1" in relation to detention time.
This means that one day in detention will shorten the
prison sentence by two days, in cases where the
detention period has exceeded two years - according to a
law that was in force between 1994 and 2001. HD's
decision (which related to targets that went on during
the period in question) has generated strong reactions..
Several federal courts have concluded that HD acted
unconstitutional and a prosecutor has launched an
investigation into the three judges who supported it.
Hundreds of thousands of people have demonstrated on the
streets. The government has withdrawn from the decision,
even though it has been rejected that the HD judges
should be brought before national law.
April
General strike strikes Buenos Aires
April 6
A day-long strike is carried out in protest of
Macri's austerity policy. Public transport is
stationary, flights are canceled and schools and banks
are closed, and protesters are blocking streets in
Buenos Aires. The strike is organized by three major
unions and is a culmination of protests that have been
going on for months. It is being implemented at the same
time as the President is hosting an economic meeting
with other Latin American leaders.
Cannabis for medical use is approved
April 4th
The Senate unanimously approves the legalization of
cannabis for medical use. The law, which has already
been passed by the Chamber of Deputies, also provides a
clear indication for import until the state can produce
cannabis itself.
March
Trial awaits Fernández de Kirchner
March 23rd
A judge decides that the ex-president should be
brought to trial for fraudulent handling of state
finances. The indictment also includes former Finance
Minister Axel Kiciloff and former central bank governor
Alejandro Vanoli (see also May 2016).
Macri promises new ethics laws
March 1st
In a speech to Congress, President Macri promises to
sign laws related to ethics for politicians. Shortly
before that, the State Prosecutor has launched an
investigation into Macri, which is partly about the
government's decision to grant the President's family
business Socma debt relief equivalent to $ 296 million,
and partly because it gave an airline that previously
belonged to his family the right to operate certain
routes.
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