Thursday, January 19, 2006

Shortness Of Breath, Tight Chest, And Cough

Education, a silence that scares

Tribune reporters is half whose notes have great impact. The topics covered are answered. We receive emails of support, rejection, mails to extend the published data that refute, and so on. But there is a theme that resonates ever, there is an issue that seems not interest anyone or at least that no one is pending and that is the subject of education.
We've posted some notes about it and all had the same response: silence the other side. It's hard to know why but no longer a factor to consider. This does not mean that education is not interested, many of us are working for it, however, is a fact that did not want to miss.
Most alarming is the silence of a part of society, the most alarming is the silence we receive from the officials concerned. In more than one occasion we wanted contact with Education Minister Daniel Filmus, or any of its employees. Never responded to our calls.
We wanted to contact the former Director General of Culture and Education, Mario Oporto, but the campaign kept him very busy during 2005. The president of the National Academy of Education, Avelino Porto did not have much time to Tribune, but was only through his secretary return a call us to tell us he was too busy and could only access a brief telephone interview. The issue is serious. Takes minutes not talk about it.
is difficult to know where to start. There is much to discuss and who are in it know that it is. We can start by mentioning the new law enacted by which many have applauded: the Law on Education Financing. Almost since taking
, Filmus Minister criticized the Federal Law of Education. Maybe not remember that it was resisted by a group of teachers and the Minister Susana Decibe the unconditional support the head of the Education portfolio Aires, Graciela Gianetassio, they took on as the great change in education. But they were not alone in that moment Daniel Filmus was an adviser to the Minister and was one of the drivers. What happened over time? Filmus Is convinced that it was a brilliant idea, but a terrible education policy? Let's give him the benefit of the doubt and think that after study and research (?) Concluded that it was best for the country and believed accurate support. However, now the Minister of Education feels "Julius Caesar" for having achieved the enactment of a new law
Here: Recently more than ten years that we have the Federal Law of Education. The looming failure is not far away, but was clearly in the immediacy. Enough to see some elements: in the same schools went to live with boys 6 to 15 years, the curriculum did not define the content a year, but per cycle, so no one knew where to start on where to end, made great changes: removed the obviated examination tables and Mathematics in the last year of high school (after a few years went back to these two geniuses, they realized that did not work) and we could go on listing changes that made the whites would not work. But the officials are far from the classrooms they cost a little more aware of things. The new law does not bring substantive changes. Needless
comments. Analyze point by point to the new law is a task that takes many lines and so I'll leave for another note. But before the ministry need someone to answer to two questions I have to ask: why the law is called "funding" and no more talk of "budget"? Why education is not assigned a fixed amount and depends on the GDP? Let us hope that everything will go well and that the GDP went well, what would then be the problem which is no longer assigned an estimated budget?
On the other hand, while talking of plurality, progress and others, the government of the province of Buenos Aires make a purchase of 3.5 million textbooks produced, according to the Governor in the letter to the editor "which was published in The Nation on January 12 this year, "with the best technical teams of national and provincial governments." The wording of this content is based on the days that were conducted throughout 2004 in various provincial schools. The issue is that we do not know what were the results or of the people and the "technical equipment", but let's ignore it and focus on the following: all publishers when making their textbooks are based on the same curriculum, but those who work with books we know that not all of the things the same way. Each editorial, by ideology, authors, business criteria, etc., Decide to highlight something, hide something else, tell from a particular theory or current, as it deems appropriate organizing, etc. (I'll write something about the painful and embarrassing task of writing a book to a publisher, but that's another matter) is not the same as a manual one. And that's fine. This gives us the opportunity to choose. But if the provincial government, supported by national, it takes away all freedom of choice, we're in real trouble and smells negotiated door. It is good that students have reference books in school libraries, but only read a negative way of counting things. Perhaps the governor Felipe Solá not respond with platitudes did readers in the letter above, perhaps a good reason why the tender was not so clear, why the purchase is not divided into at least three different publishers.
The issue is not limited. We still discuss the teaching situation, the entrance exams, the changes they want to do in the CBC, summer schools, school canteens and many other aspects related to education.
hope, even for this time, do not be the only answer song, nice by the way, small crickets. Catalina Sosa

0 comments:

Post a Comment