Public Schools

[Alilou]

I don't have kids yet but I'm curious... do anyone have their kids in public schools? Or would you consider putting your kids into public schools? I guess this question is specifically for those married to an Argentine or that plan on staying here permanently... I'm pro public school in general (I think it helps keep the level of education higher for all if everyone attends the same school system... then again, the same is true of health care and I'd never give up my OSDE cards and access to all the fancy private clinics... so I'm obviously being a hypocrite here)...but I'm not so sure what I think of the public school system here... mostly because I know nothing about it except that the kids wear cute little lab coats!

 

[nikad]

Unless you send your kids to Nacional Buenos Aires or Carlos Pellegrini public schools, most people with kids that can afford the cheapest private school would not send the kids to public schools. They used to be very good back in the time, but they are in a similar situation to public hospitals...

 

[syngirl]

I agree with Nikad -- sorry, but I would never send my kids to public schools here. Public schools here are unfortunately severely underfunded and many of the buildings are in terrible conditions. 15 or 20 years ago it was a different story, but the way the schools are now I would not put my child into one. I think before you choose, visit some of the public schools in your neighbourhood and decide for yourself. There are a couple of decent ones as Nikad said, but most are doing terribly and are in need of significant investment by the government.

That said, I wouldn't send my kids to a lot of private schools here either -- a lot are just money-making businesses and the education is not on par with what you are paying. Some of the schools "entry exams" are not for your child, but an examination of the parent's financial and social situation, and their child is only admitted after determining that they are from the "right" type of family.

 

[AlexfromLA]

No. Hell No !!!

 

[gouchobob]

I don't know any country in South America that has decent public schools. A better educational system is badly needed. No country to my knowledge has done anything significant to address the problem. Some cynics believe the politicians don't want the system improved as they fear they couldn't get elected with an educated population.

 

[SaraSara]

Count me as one of those cynics - the government keeps the masses uneducated, hungry, and dependent on State handouts to make sure they vote "right".

Why waste money building new schools or paying teachers good salaries when you can buy a vote with just a choripan.

 

[AlexfromLA]

This isn't an Argentina or a Latin America thing. The public schools in the US are the same and in some cases much worse. All of Sara's comments apply to the US, so much so that I actually thought she was talking about the US. Except for the choripan part, you'd have to substitute that with a burger or a hot dog or something.

Private schools are the way to go in any country in the western hemisphere.

In Latin America there is a saying " lo barato cuesta caro ". I couldn't agree more. Especially when it comes to education.

 

[gouchobob]

This isn't an Argentina or a Latin America thing. The public schools in the US are the same and in some cases much worse. All of Sara's comments apply to the US, so much so that I actually thought she was talking about the US. Except for the choripan part, you'd have to substitute that with a burger or a hot dog or something.

Private schools are the way to go in any country in the western hemisphere.

In Latin America there is a saying " lo barato cuesta caro ". I couldn't agree more. Especially when it comes to education.

I don't think the problems in the U.S. educational system are the same or worse than in Latin America. The problems here are much more severe. A good discussion of the many problems here are contained in the link below:

http://www.worldfund.org/Education-Gap.html

 

[Alilou]

I am really disappointed to hear all this... In the US, there is a huge mix of quality depending on the neighborhood. The schools are always excellent in wealthier neighborhoods (because middle class and up people are better advocates and demand that the schools be up to standard) and the schools are always terrible in the poor neighborhoods. I take it that this is not the case here?

 

[SaraSara]

I am really disappointed to hear all this... In the US, there is a huge mix of quality depending on the neighborhood. The schools are always excellent in wealthier neighborhoods (because middle class and up people are better advocates and demand that the schools be up to standard) and the schools are always terrible in the poor neighborhoods. I take it that this is not the case here?

Quite true.

But the US and Argentina are different when it comes to schools.

Argentine schools belong to the central government and are run by the Ministry of Education, permanently starved for funds. Teachers' salaries are pitiful, something like two thousand pesos per month counting benefits. All children learn from the exact same books, selected by government bureaucrats who generally have some kind of a sweetheart deal with schoolbook publishers and authors.

US schools belong to cities and counties, and are funded from real estate taxes. So, expensive neighborhoods get the best schools, and poor neighborhoods have terrible ones. Schools are run by local boards, who choose the curriculum and the textbooks. That is why Kansas could ban teaching evolution - its Christian Fundamentalist Board of Education decided that Darwin was wrong.

Oddly enough, American public school teachers are better paid than those in private schools.