Federalism, School Reforms, and the Principle of Equality in Argentina

Abstract

Education as a human right shows challenges when it is regulated in federal states, especially considering the principle of equality. The educational policies initiated in the first decade of this century in Argentina have had an impact on the principle of equality, which is the basis of this human right, since the reform was developed in the context of a federal state. METHODOLOGY. In methodological terms, the design of this research includes qualitative techniques, among which the normative legal analysis and the consequent generation of comparative typification of the sources considered stand out. Quantitative techniques were also used for the analysis of statistics in order to measure educational enrollment. RESULTS. Definitions of federalism and its implications in terms of academics and school coverage, considering contemporary reform processes, are discussed. In particular, the evolution of the affordability of the right to education in terms of compulsory schooling is analyzed. DISCUTIONS. It is noted that, although Argentina has regulated the right to education with a high degree of normativity, the results of the reforms have led to an increase in inequality in the context of federalism in the 2005-2020 period.

Keywords: federalism, right to education, reforms, educational politics, educational inequalities