HISTORY
Education in Argentina has an accomplished yet convoluted history. There was no effective educational plan until president Domingo Sarmiento placed emphasis on bringing Argentina up-to-date with practices in developed countries. The first national laws mandating universal, compulsory, free and secular education (Law 1420 of common Education). were sanctioned in 1884 during the administration of president Julio Rocha. The non-religious character of this system, Which forbad parochial schools from issuing official degrees directly, but only through a public university, harmed the relations between the Argentine State and the Catholic Church, leading to resistance from the local clergy and a heated conflict with the Holy See.
Following the university reform of 1981, Argentine education, especially at university level, became more independent of the government, as well as the influential Catholic Church. Real Government spending on education increased steadily from the return of democratic rule in 1983 (with the exception of the crises in 1989 and 2002), and in 2007, totaled over US $ 14 BILLION.
In spite of its many problems, Argentina's higher education manged to reach worldwide levels of excellence in the 1960s. The Argentine population at large benefits from a relatively high level attained, per the 2001 census, was distributed thus:
PRIMARY EDUCATION
Accepted between ages 6 and 14. Primary education comprises the first two EGB cycles. Because of the system that was in place until 1995 (7 years of primary school plus 5 or 6 of secondary school), primary schools used to offer grades 1-7, although most are already converted to accept 8th and 9th, others chose to eliminate 7th grade although most are already converted to accept 8th and 9th, others chose to eliminate 7th grade altogether, forcing the students to complete the 3rd cycle in another institution.
secondary education in Argentina is called polimodal, since it allows the student to choose his/her orientation. Polimodal is not yet obligatory but ts completion is a requirement to enter colleges across the nation. This is different however, in the city of Buenos Aires ( and several provinces), where polimodal does not exist. The secondary education seven years of primary education and five years of secondary education. The secondary education system is thus divided in three large groups, "Bachiller" schools (focusing on economic sciences and everything related to it) and "Escuelas Tecnicas" Each one subdivided in more specific orientations related to its main branch.
Argentina maintains a network of 39 National universities, financed by the Ministry of Education and tuition-free, since 1946. In all, over 1.5 million students attend institutions of higher learning in Argentina, are generally research-oriented doctoral studies,Leading mostly to the awarding of the degrees of Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Science, Doctor of Medicine, and juris doctor, among others. Enrollment in doctorate programs in Argentina is available to candidates having earned a Licentiate of Master's degree in a related area of study.
