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Uruguay Historical Origins and Evolution of Education
Uruguay pioneered universal, free, and compulsory
primary
education in the Americas under the influence of José
Pedro
Varela (president, 1875-76), whose writings convinced the
government to pass the 1877 Law of Common Education. The
model
adopted for public schools was taken from the French
system, and
a centralized, nationwide system was established. A rigid
separation into three branches of education grew
up--primary,
secondary, and university. Teacher training for grade
school
teachers was connected to the primary school system. The
National
Institute of Technical Education (Instituto Nacional de
Educación
Técnica--INET) grew up as an extension of the secondary
school
system. By the late 1950s, all three branches of the
education
system had established administrative autonomy, including
complete control over their budgets. The Organic
University Law
of 1958 provided that the governing bodies of the
University of
the Republic would be elected by the members of the
faculty,
alumni, and students.
By the late 1960s, Uruguayan secondary schools and the
various faculties of the University of the Republic had
become
extremely politicized. Student sit-ins, demonstrations,
and even
riots were commonplace. Classes and examinations were
frequently
disrupted. After 1973 the authorities vowed to put an end
to this
situation, and political purges in the education system
became
widespread. Some teachers were able to find work in
private
schools, but others either left the profession or
emigrated.
Entire branches of the university, such as the Institute
of
Social Sciences, were closed for a time. Academic
standards
suffered across the board as some of the best teachers and
professors were fired and replaced by people with only
mediocre
qualifications.
Data as of December 1990
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