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(Last updated: 10 Jun 2011)
Trends and opportunities
The market
There are over 65,000 educational establishments (not including universities) – 78 per cent are state-run institutions, while 22 per cent are private. State education is free and most private schools are religious (Catholic) or related to community groups such as Jewish, American and Anglo-Argentines. Spanish is the language of instruction and English is widely taught. Many of the latter offer international qualifications such as International Baccalaureate and Cambridge qualifications in English.
Under the New Federal Law of Education passed in December 2007 (Law 26.606) Argentina’s education system was reformed and the system was unified. Twelve years of compulsory schooling was established, with a guarantee of 180 days of classes per school year: from one year of initial level at age 5 to 12 years of primary education and secondary education. The new structure comprises four levels:
- Initial education
- Primary education
- Secondary education
- Superior education
It has also eight modules:
- Professional technical education
- Artistic education
- Special education
- Permanente education for young people and adults
- Rural education
- Bilingual intercultural education
- Online education
- Education at home
Funding for education is divided between the provincial and federal governments – the federal government accounts for 60 per cent of each province’s total education budget, with the province making up the remaining 40 per cent.
Generally, the tertiary sector receives federal funding and the provinces fund the school sector. Most schools depend on funding from parent cooperatives, as funds received from the federal government are inadequate. State school students do not pay fees, but they do have to purchase their own stationery and uniforms and provide their own transport. Public universities are also free but there is constant debate regarding the introduction of fees. Private university fees can range from ARS800 to ARS3,500 per month.
The academic year is similar to the Australian – from March to December, divided into two semesters for government schools and three terms for private schools. Universities vary, but usually run from April to December and also divided into semesters.
Vocational education and training
Given the recent lack of skilled and technically qualified workers in the Argentine workforce, this is the area that is receiving most attention by the government. The changes that were introduced by the Federal Law of Education in 1995 virtually did away with the Technical High School system and the government is looking to introduce a completely renovated VET system in the country that is competency based and industry led.
As it stands, the technical and vocational training at upper secondary level is for students who are enrolled in that level or who have graduated from multimodal education. The training is called technical and professional pathways and is administered by the National Institute for Technical Education.
There are some 1,700 tertiary non-university institutes in Argentina. Over two-thirds are teacher-training institutes and also over two-thirds are public institutions. Some are run by trade associations, such as the automotive and printing industries. More recently, private institutes have appeared in response to industry needs in areas such as hospitality, IT and computer repairs, business administration, welding, construction, auto mechanics and early childcare. There is no system in place to regulate private institutions although they must be authorised by the Ministry of Education in order to grant their own awards.
A two-year full-time program leads to a Certificate of Professional Aptitude. Three year programs award a Certificate of Competence and students may continue to a fourth year for the title of Technical Assistant.
There is a stigma in Argentina against VET qualified students as they are seen as having been unable to enter university – in a country where state universities are free and there is no entrance examination.
There is interest from the Argentine Government to develop a VET system similar to the Australian TAFE system.
Superior education
In Argentina there are 38 state universities and six state university institutes, 41 private universities and 13 private university institutes, one provincial university, one foreign university and one international university that are accredited with the Ministry of Education and recognised by the government.
The university institutes are specialised institutions focusing on particular fields such as aeronautics, maritime studies, health and medical studies and the arts. They also include training institutions for the armed forces and the police.
The most popular degrees are in economics and management with over 300,000 students, followed by law, architecture and design, engineering, computer sciences, medicine, education and psychology. This applies to both the public and private sector universities.
Private universities began in Argentina in 1958 and qualifications from private universities have only been recognised by the government since the late 1980s. Official recognition authorises a private university to grant its own awards and the university continues to be supervised for six years after it is recognised.
Private universities fall into two main groups:
- The larger and older institutions are located mainly in Buenos Aires, with a few in the regional cities of Córdoba, Mendoza and Tucumán. This group includes the two older Catholic universities dating from the 1950s, Universidad Católica and Universidad del Salvador, and some established by private foundations dating mainly from the 1970s, such as Universidad de Belgrano.
- The other group comprises newer and smaller universities located mainly in Buenos Aires, which are run by various foundations, professional bodies and religious groups. The individual universities usually offer only a few fields of study or specialise in areas such as business, finance, economics, medical and health sciences, engineering and technology.
Both public and private universities in Argentina are autonomous and free to determine their own internal policies. The administration of public universities is somewhat political and involves commissions or councils of administrative staff, academic staff and students. This often leads to turmoil and unrest.
Rectors of state universities participate in the National Interuniversity Council and rectors of private universities have the Council of Rectors for Private Universities. Both are discussion forums and neither has the authority to establish national policy.
Under the Higher Education Law of 1995, the National Commission for University Evaluation and Accreditation (CONEAU) was established to help improve the quality of university education in Argentina. The process consists of two steps – self-evaluation and external evaluation. Institutions may choose to have the evaluations undertaken by CONEAU or evaluation agencies formed by the universities themselves. External evaluations take place every six years and complement the self-evaluations.
The average length of study for an undergraduate degree is five years, although many students take much longer. It is characteristic of Argentine universities that students attend part-time and university buildings are often deserted during the day.
Another characteristic of Argentine universities (particularly state universities) is the lack of a university campus. Faculties can be spread across the city in different buildings and in some cases faculty buildings (agriculture, for instance) might be many kilometres away. Some universities offer student accommodation but more often than not, this is organised privately.
Argentine universities increasingly recognise the need for international agreements and twinning arrangements – not only for the benefit of students and academic staff, but also in order to differentiate themselves from the increasing number of competitor universities in the market.
Argentine students tend to complete their undergraduate degrees in-country and consider international qualifications for postgraduate degrees as the re-validation process for an international professional degree (unless there is a validation agreement in place between the countries) can take 12 months or more and during that time, the student is unable to practice.
Opportunities
There are opportunities for Australian education providers to attract Argentine students in the following areas:
- Short and long-term English language courses
- Vocational (TAFE) training
- University studies – mainly postgraduate
Argentina is now rated as Student Visa Assessment Level 2 across the board, which means that it is easier for students to obtain a visa.
Argentine universities are actively seeking agreements with international universities in order to increase their own competitiveness and provide enhanced learning to existing students. It is suggested that these relationships should be based on industry sectors (eg. wine and viticulture) rather than general agreements.
Argentine university students look at Australia for courses of particular interest and for which there are similarities between the two countries, such as:
- Agriculture
- Environmental studies
- Urban planning
- Marine biology
- Tourism
- Hotel management
- Sports medicine
Argentina offers the possibility of interesting research collaborations with Australian academics.
Competitive environment
No reliable statistics are available but estimates put the number of Argentine students studying abroad at around 22,000. It is thought that this number was much higher (up to 35,000) before the financial crisis.
Approximately half undertake studies in the USA, a quarter in the UK and the rest are spread over several study destinations including Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
Students increasingly seek funding for overseas studies and there is no government or semi-government system that provides this service. The Argentine Ministry of Education provides a list of available scholarships from international sources on its website.
Spain is by far the largest provider of scholarship funding in Argentina, largely for short postgraduate programs, but Japan, Italy and Germany also figure prominently.
Most universities have international student exchange agreements but since the financial crisis, the traffic of students has mostly been towards Argentina and not out-bound. The lack of reciprocity in exchange agreements is a problem for some foreign universities who rely on this method as a means of eventually obtaining fee-paying students. Also, many Argentine universities are reluctant to waive their students’ fees for, say, a semester study-abroad program. The newer, private universities are more active in this area and have implemented successful exchange programs. However, students at these universities are more likely to be in the upper socio-economic sector and consider international experience essential to future employment.
The Argentine education market is highly sophisticated and competitive. Most Argentine students have several years of English language tuition as part of the general secondary school curriculum.
Short-term English language courses are the most popular, with the average student stay being five weeks. Most other enquiries are received for postgraduate university studies – an overseas tertiary qualification is often considered superior to a local degree.
Australia as a study destination for Argentine students is rapidly increasing in popularity and there are several reasons for this:
- The majority of Argentine students undertake overseas courses during their summer holidays (December to March).
- The Australian school and university year is similar to Argentina’s.
- Australia is seen as a friendly, informal and safe destination.
- For long-term courses or university studies, Australia’s student visa allows students work up to 20 hours per week.
- Course fees and the cost of living in Australia are significantly lower than in the USA and UK, due to the exchange rate.
Sources
Argentine Ministry of Education – www.me.gov.ar
National Institute of Statistics and Censuses – www.indec.mecon.gov.ar
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