Free Public Education in a Country of Economic Distress
Argentina, like many other countries, offers free public education. Citizens may attend as many years as desired at any of the 47 national public universities in the country. Because there is no limit to the amount free public education, though, there is also no particular rush to complete classes and receive a diploma in 4 years, as accustomed in the US. This system allows for more freedom in the course of study, for instance if students must also work during their studies, it allows for leniency in scheduling. Additionally, it decreases the pressure of remaining in a career that one later decides is not something in which they are interested or passionate. If a student decides they do not like the course of study of career A, they have the freedom to start anew and pursue careers B-Z. Yes, this means staring fresh in entry level courses, but at no cost other than a delay to a diploma and a full-time job. Talking amongst my new peers and friends, it is additionally apparent that students are rarely in a rush to stop living their care-free, party lifestyle that is made possible by the free, elongated college life.
The free education system in Argentina results in a case of an "eternal student". The average time that a student will attend a public university is 8 years. That is 8 years to earn a basic degree. Most post-graduate education, though, is private and requires funding. Many of the students in my "third-year" chemical engineering classes are much older than I. I put quotes around "third year" because it appears that many of the students are actually studying their forth or fifth year of chemical engineering. The classes are third-year in theory, but an average student's course of study does not follow that. In fact, many students have expressed that it is nearly imposible to graduate in 4-5 years with a degree in engineering and other impacted studies such as computer or physical sciences.
So yeah, my biases on this system may have shined through my effort to be remain neutral. Yes, I think public education has its advantages and allows for elevated opportunities for the general populous, but perhaps a bit of reform and limitation to the system could be beneficial in the effort to motivate students to study efficiently and enter the workforce faster as fully-contributing citizens. Just my take...
Anywayyyy... the reason I started to write this post was to discuss the education strikes that are occurring at this time, so let me stop ranting and switch gears a bit:
Due to Argentina's economic crisis, public education has experienced severe funding cuts, effecting directly the salary of the teaching staff. As you would expect, this has resulted in labor strikes. Labor strikes by professors, though, means that they do not hold classes and students do not receive the resources and lessons that are expected.
I have completed 5 weeks of study here. My class schedule includes 20 hours of class per week, but due to the strikes, I have had closer to 12 hours per week. I have even been fortunate in the respect that I am studying chemical engineering, for many of the professors in this department receive the majority of their funding through their research. Students in other careers such as literature and design have experienced even more severe schedule cuts than I. I was talking with an international student from Columbia who studies public relations and she mentioned that her FIRST class was last week!
Students at universities all around the country have fought back through demonstrations and strikes of their own. After the 60+ days of debate, the government has agreed to re-adjust the budget allocated to higher public education. It appears that the strikes have come to an end at most universities. At UNL, all clases have resumed, social and academic groups have been able to formally meet, and sports teams have been able to practice.
Students and professors remain weary of the prosed changes. It is likely that additional reform will become necessary as the country's economic scene develops in the years to come.
Students and professors gather in the street and partake in discussions about the state of public education in the country.