Teaching graduate number falls 25 pct over 10 years in Buenos Aires

The number of teaching graduates has fallen 25 percent in the past 10 years in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires, local media reported Monday.

This has led to a shortage of teachers in the capital's primary schools where at least 210 courses do not have teachers, Argentine daily La Nacion said.

"On a rotating basis, around 5,000 kids, mainly from the southern neighborhoods, don't have regular classes," said the newspaper.

Primary school teacher Alejandra Bonato, who is involved in putting together the lists of vacant positions and available teachers, said "it is like a silent and daily standstill."

In subjects such as chemistry, English, physics and history, the shortage is more serious.

"The problem is that in the city of Buenos Aires, you don't directly find grade level teachers and the positions can't be covered," said Eduardo Lopezm, general secretary of the Union of Education Workers (UTE), adding "there are more (teachers) that retire than graduate."

In 2004, 561 teachers graduated from the teacher training institutes whereas in 2014, the number dropped to 423 in a country where the teaching degree takes four years to complete.

Raquel Papalardo, rector of the Mariano Acosta Institute, one of the 11 government-run primary teacher training institutes in Buenos Aires, said "the main obstacle that young people starting the degree face is the heavy workload in the workshops and the placements."

In addition, he said, the withdrawal rate is around 50 percent. Endit