Higher Education Changes under Milei
Education: There will be an exam upon completing secondary school, and non-resident foreigners will no longer study for free at the University.
This is proposed by the ley ómnibus sent to Congress by the Milei government; it also enables homeschooling and allows companies to contribute funds to school cooperatives.
If the ley ómnibus text is approved as sent to Congress, students will have to take an exam to validate their performance level upon completing secondary school.
In addition, mechanisms for the evaluation and validation of knowledge will be introduced for both students and teachers. Parents will have access to the results of collective evaluation methods, such as the Aprender tests, to understand their children’s performance and that of the school they attend.
Another change will be that to enter public university, one can choose between an exam or a leveling course, and undergraduate studies in public universities will continue to be free for Argentinians and permanent resident foreigners.
However, a fee may be charged to foreigners who come to study, although a scholarship system funded by agreements with other countries or foreign private institutions may be implemented. Also, a mechanism will be enabled for opting for homeschooling from the fourth grade of primary school, among other significant changes.
This arises from the text sent to Congress by the government of Javier Milei. As LA NACION learned, most of the proposed changes in education were driven by the team of Federico Sturzenegger, former President of the Central Bank and a key supporter of the proposed reforms.
Changes are being promoted in the education system, with an integrative exam at the end of secondary education and the possibility for parents to be aware of their children’s grades and how they compare with those of their school to the rest of the country.
Non-teaching professionals are allowed to participate in the educational process, and the entry of individuals without a completed secondary education into higher education is prohibited.
Finally, while respecting the principle of free higher education for Argentinians and resident foreigners, universities would be authorized to charge fees for the education of non-resident foreigners, if they so wish, says the text on its first pages.
Then, starting from page 162, the text incorporates changes to the various laws regulating the education system. It discusses financing without introducing significant changes or mentioning the voucher system.
It also adds an article that respects the power of provinces to establish conditions for schooling, teacher salaries, the academic calendar, among other matters, although it opens the possibility for companies and private donors to contribute funds to school cooperatives, without being prohibited from using that information as part of an advertising action, something that the current law does not allow.
The text sent to Congress has the approval of the area’s secretary, Carlos Torrendell, although it was not an initiative that originated from his sphere, as reported by LA NACION. However, until reaching the final version, the text went back and forth between Sturzenegger’s team and Torrendell’s.
Teachers and students with periodic evaluations
As read on the pages, the project incorporates various instances and mechanisms for periodic evaluation for both students and teachers.
For teachers, they must revalidate skills and knowledge every five years, according to criteria established by the Ministry of Human Capital’s Secretary of Education and the Federal Council of Education.
For students, they must be evaluated periodically in terms of mathematics and reading comprehension, in addition to other evaluations determined by the authority. At the end of secondary education, the national government will take a mandatory census exam that measures the learning and skills developed by graduating teenagers, the text states.
The student will have the right to know and receive certification of the results. Up to this point, the text does not make it clear if this will condition their entry to university.
As a monitoring instance of educational quality, the evaluation systems of the education system will be maintained (such as Aprender tests, for example). It adds that “parents and teachers will have access to information that allows them to make decisions to improve the education of their children and students.”
The text does not clarify if they will access the grade of their own child or the level achieved by the school. However, in the introductory text, it points out:
“The possibility for parents to be aware of their children’s grades and how these compare with those of their school to the rest of the country.” The doubt arises because the text sent states “evaluations will safeguard the identity of students.”
Homeschooling
Another change: An article of the National Education Law is replaced, which, if successful, would enable homeschooling (education at home) from the fourth grade of primary school, something that was not contemplated in the legislation until now, and only distance learning was allowed for those over 18 years old or people who live far from an urban center.
“Hybrid distance studies as an alternative to face-to-face education, from the second cycle of primary level for minors, young people, adults, can be taught in different educational modalities,” it reads.
The current text only allowed this modality for adults and in the rural modality, at a distance from the last years of high school.
Financing without vouchers
The new text has only two articles. In one, a nominal text is modified: now it will be the Ministry of Human Capital’s Secretary of Education (instead of the Ministry of Education) with the Federal Council of Education and the teachers’ guilds who will agree on a framework teaching agreement.
It also adds an article that emphasizes respect for jurisdictions: each jurisdiction will agree on working conditions, the academic calendar, minimum wage, and teaching career.
University Fees for Foreigners
A pivotal change emerges in the narrative with the introduction of a chapter that holds significant implications. An amendment to the Higher Education Law allows for the imposition of fees on foreign students who choose to pursue their studies in Argentina.
Simultaneously, the law ensures the continued provision of free education at public universities for all Argentine citizens and foreigners holding a permanent Argentine DNI, acquired through obtaining permanent residency in the country.
The criteria for eligibility include residing in the country for two years for migrants from Mercosur countries and three years for non-Mercosur nations, in addition to completing the necessary procedural requirements.
For individuals with temporary residence, the legislation does not automatically enforce fees. Instead, it grants each public university the authority to decide whether to implement charges. The text specifies, “They may establish fees for undergraduate teaching or educational paths for those students who meet the requirements.”
The proposed changes extend beyond fees, empowering universities to “sign agreements with other states, national and international institutions or organizations, public or private, aimed at sharing resources of all kinds and implementing best practices in education and management.”
Moreover, they can facilitate exchange mechanisms, fostering scholarship systems for foreign students choosing Argentina as their study destination.
Another notable amendment pertains to access to university education. The current law allows individuals over 25 years old, demonstrating basic knowledge, to pursue undergraduate studies. The proposed change would nullify this provision, limiting access to those who have successfully completed their secondary education.
The rationale behind introducing fees for foreign students is framed as a measure to balance budgets and prevent the national government from financing the education of individuals who arrive in the country solely for educational purposes and subsequently return to their home countries.
The Omnibus Law, presented to Congress by the government, incorporates this significant amendment in the education chapter, providing public universities with the discretion to decide whether to charge fees to foreign individuals with temporary residency. The text explicitly states, “They may establish fees for undergraduate or educational program services for those students who meet the requirements.”
However, the financial impact of these changes on the overall budget appears to be relatively minor. In 2021, the latest year for which statistics are available, 117,820 foreign students were enrolled in Argentine universities out of a total student population of 2,730,754. This equates to 4.3% of the total enrollment, with 4% in state-managed universities and 5.5% in private institutions.
Of the foreign students, 99,693 were pursuing undergraduate or graduate studies, and 18,127 were enrolled in postgraduate programs. According to the University Statistical Information Synthesis from the former Ministry of Education of the Nation, 95.9% of these students originated from countries in the Americas, 2.90% from European nations, and the remaining 1.17% from Asia, Africa, and Oceania.
Entrance Exam or CBC?
Universities must enable an entrance exam that allows direct entry into the degree program, without completing a leveling and professional and vocational orientation process. It would be the student who can choose between one system or the other.
For example, the Common Basic Cycle (CBC) at the University of Buenos Aires would not disappear, but students should have the option to choose whether to take the exam or undergo an introductory process. If they do not pass the exam, they would have the chance to take the leveling course.
External Evaluation
Another change it brings is that university institutions, whether public or private, can no longer “self-assess” every six years, as allowed by the law.
Instead, every 10 years, they must obtain external evaluations, carried out by the National Commission for University Evaluation and Accreditation (Coneau) or private entities established for that purpose.
Budget According to the Number of Graduates
Regarding university financing, the project brings significant changes: The contribution of the national government to state-managed higher education institutions could not be reduced or replaced until now; it had to adhere to the annual budget.
The project adds a paragraph ensuring that this contribution will be distributed among different institutions based on the number of students enrolled in each, the type of degree offered (such as undergraduate and postgraduate programs), and their area of study.
The number of graduates and other criteria to be defined will also have an impact. “The amounts allocated to each institution will be determined annually in the general budget of the national public administration,” it says. It also adds that monitoring and evaluation mechanisms will be established to determine goal fulfillment.
University Supplementary Funds
“The allocation of resources will be carried out to ensure access to higher education throughout the national territory, promote the quality and relevance of training, and guarantee the effectiveness in the use of public resources,” it adds.
The new text states, like its predecessor, that the contribution of the state cannot be reduced or replaced in any case by additional resources from other sources not considered in the budget. However, it adds a phrase that opens up a world of possibilities: “They will always be complementary resources.” That is, it authorizes the use of resources from other sources, public or private, as a supplement to the main budget.
Cooperatives with Advertising Guidelines
Something similar happens in the field of schools and colleges: an article of the school cooperatives law is modified, stating that communities of institutions (both public and private, although mostly in public schools) may raise funds through activities and receive contributions from individuals, companies, and organizations.
In the 2012 law, it was established that funds raised should not have a counterpart, such as “the explicit publication in advertising or propaganda terms of the donor.” This would allow, for example, companies to carry out promotional activities in schools or colleges and turn it into a source of income for the educational community.
Voices in Favor and Against
Clarín consulted experts on the project presented in Congress this Wednesday, and opinions varied. For example, Guillermina Tiramonti says, “Starting a change with the final exam does not seem appropriate because it validates what exists, which we know must be changed. I agree with a final exam, but only once we make secondary school an educational level in line with the contemporary characteristics of culture.” “I agree with increasing requirements, but it makes no sense to do so if we retain old content and practices,” she added.
For Jaime Correas, former Minister of Education of Mendoza and member of the Coalition for Education, the measure “is a significant step forward because it aims to avoid the simulation of claiming that many students know what they don’t know because they are given a score of 10 or pass without providing evidence of learning. The famous case of Carlitos Teves, eight years of school without learning to read and passing every year.”
“In Mendoza, there were not enough vacancies in all the schools that depend on UNCuyo for the average ten students to enter. There were 1,100 vacancies, and there were almost 1,300 with an average score of 10. Impossible, it never happened.
An exam can be a bridge to a very different system conversation, where at least there is a real understanding of what each person has learned. Then, to turn around years of inertia, specialists must indicate paths to transform that assessment into public policies that improve learning. A 180-degree change from the evaluation aversion of the Kirchnerist years,” he added.
Correas proposes that a diagnostic test be administered in primary school as well to assess how much students have learned. According to Gustavo Zorzoli, former rector of the National University of Buenos Aires, “it is a first initiative that seeks to regain an understanding of the primary and ultimate purpose of the school: teaching and, therefore, the achievement of significant learning for all citizens.
In this regard, it can be the starting point for a crucial change regarding the role of the school institution.”
“The fact that the State takes responsibility for understanding the situation of graduates in order to have reliable information that allows authorities to make decisions on sectoral education policies is now fundamental. On the other hand, it is an individual’s right to know with what knowledge and skills they graduate from compulsory education,” he added.
Marcelo Rabossi, a researcher at the Di Tella University, also agrees with the measure. He says that for various reasons, students are progressing through secondary school without the minimum knowledge in mathematics and text comprehension. This leads to many, almost 40%, dropping out in their first year of university.
He points out that the university often makes an effort to teach them this basic knowledge, but that is not the function of a university. “You are spending time and a scarce resource, such as teachers – in the case of the CBC, a year – on something that is not appropriate,” says Rabossi.
“And a final point is to create incentives for students, the culture of effort. Studying is not the same as not studying, everything is not the same. That is also very important,” adds the expert.
The Omnibus Law proposed by President Javier Milei “directly challenges one of the guiding principles of public education: its free nature,” states Pagina 12. Among the hundreds of articles in the text sent to Congress, one section suggests that universities be subject to fees for non-resident foreign citizens. It also alters the admission requirements and changes the guidelines for financing higher education.
See Also,
Extranjeros no residentes ya no estudiarán gratis en la universidad
El Gobierno Quiere Abilitar que las Universidades Cobren a los Extranjeros
Length of University Programs is Unrealistic
We Have to Plant Universities in Every Corner of Argentina
Soledad Quartucci | CEO/Founder, Latina Republic
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