Hispanic America

Regional overview

Hispanic America is very clearly defined as the supraregion comprising the American countries inhabited by Spanish-speaking populations. For related concepts see Category:Central America, Category:South America and Category:Spanish-speaking countries.

Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hispanic_America lists these countries as:

1. Argentina
2. Bolivia
3. Chile
4. Colombia
5. Costa Rica
6. Cuba
7. Dominican Republic
8. Ecuador
9. El Salvador
10. Guatemala
11. Honduras
12. Mexico
13. Nicaragua
14. Panama
15. Paraguay
16. Peru
17. Puerto Rico
18. Uruguay
19. Venezuela

It is a debatable point whether in cultural/political terms, Puerto Rico should be included - since it is effectively a colony of the US.

Most mainland countries of Central America and South America thus belong to Hispanic America, with the major exception of Brazil and the minor exceptions of some former colonies of Netherlands, France and UK.

Country reports from Hispanic America

This supra-region report is currently (August 2011) based on 10 country reports:

Four of these are detailed reports:

• Colombia
• Mexico
• Paraguay
• Uruguay

Six are briefer reports:

• Argentina
• Bolivia
• Chile
• Panama
• Peru
• Venezuela

Re.ViCa also has brief country reports, which have not yet been updated, for:

• Costa Rica
• Cuba
• Dominican Republic
• Ecuador
• El Salvador
• Guatemala
• Honduras
• Nicaragua
• Puerto Rico

Education in Hispanic America

All the countries in the region profess to see education as a priority in achieving social and economic progress. Many countries have ambitious aspirational mission and vision statements on their Ministry websites - e.g. Paraguay, where the vision specifically includes references to promoting both ICT and social media for educational purposes.

The table below compares a range of education indicators across Hispanic American countries - the data is drawn from UNESCO Institute for Statistics:

Country	Average years of schooling of adults	Duration of compulsory education (years)	Years of primary education	Years of secondary education	Primary completion rate %	Enrolment ratio > Secondary level  %	Tertiary enrolment %	Education spending (% of GDP)	Education spending (% of total government expenditure)
Argentina	8.8	9	6	6	99	79.1	48.8	4.0	13.8
Bolivia	5.6	8	6	6	101	68.1	35.7	6.3	19.7
Chile	7.5	9	6	6	95	74.5	35.7	4.2	18.7
Colombia	5.3	8	5	6	97	56.5	23.3	5.2	15.6
Costa Rica	6	10	6	5	92	49.2	16.0	5.1	22.4
Ecuador	6.4	10	6	6	101	48	-	1.0	8.0
El Salvador	5.2	9	6	6	87	39.3	17.5	2.9	20.0
Guatemala	3.5	11	6	5	74	26.2	8.5	-	13.0
Honduras	4.8	6	6	5	79	-	14.7	-	-
Mexico	7.2	10	6	6	-	59.7	20.7	5.3	-
Nicaragua	4.6	6	6	5	76	35.5	11.5	3.1	15.0
Panama	8.6	6	6	6	97	62.2	34.9	4.5	9.0
Paraguay	6.2	9	6	6	89	46.7	10.1	4.4	11.4
Peru	7.6	11	6	5	99	61.5	28.8	3.0	17.1
Uruguay	7.6	10	6	6	91	69.9	36.1	2.6	7.9
Venezuela	6.6	7	6	5	92	50.4	28.5	-	17.0
Means	6.3	8.7	6	5.7	91.2	55.1	24.7	4.0	14.9
Range	3.5-8.8	6-11	6	5-6	74-101	26.2-79.1	8.5-48.8	1.0-6.3	8.0-22.4

In the table notably high and low scores are shown in bold type and the mean scores and ranges in bold italic.

• Average years of schooling for adults: a useful measure of the country's starting point for current and future education development. Note the high scores for Panama and Argentina and the very low scores for three Central American countries - Guatemala, Nicaragua and Honduras.
• Duration of compulsory education: whilst most countries currently make this 8 - 11 years, note the high scores for Guatemala (starting from a very low adult base) and Peru and the low scores for three Central American countries (Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama and the below average score for Venezuela.
• Years of primary education: universally six years, except in Colombia.
• Years of secondary education: again, six years in the majority of countries, but in none of them is more than the first three years compulsory.
• Primary completion rate: still below 80% in Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, but around 90% or above in all other countries.
• Enrolment rate for secondary education: there are wide variations here, with notably low transition rates (below 40%) in three Central American countries: Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador contrasting with transition by more than two thirds of young people in Argentina, Uruguay and Bolivia.
• Tertiary enrolments: again, there are wide variations, with scores of 10% or below in Guatemala and Paraguay, contrasting with almost half the population involved in tertiary study in Argentina. However, tertiary enrolments cover all education, vocational and professional training beyond the school system; whilst many will be studying at degree level, many others will be undertaking vocational training at intermediate or technician levels.
• Education spending: there are quite wide variations in education spending, both as a percentage of GDP and as a percentage of total government expenditure. Several countries have extensive provision of private schools, colleges and universities and it is not entirely clear from the statistical data how this is accounted for. Note, however, the low scores in both columns for Ecuador, which is not one of the more economically advanced countries and Uruguay, which is one of the most prosperous. By way of contrast, El Salvador only spends 2.9% of GDP on education, but this amounts to 20% of total govenment expenditure. Bolivia has notably high scores on both measures.

Schools in Hispanic America

All countries in Hispanic America feature both state and private schools, though private education is not strongly advertised in Venezuela, presumably for political reasons. Most private schools are Catholic foundations, reflecting the dominant religion across the region, but in some countries where there are significant immigrant populations from northern European countries and north America there a number of schools are sponsored by other Christian denominations - e.g. Lutheran and Evangelical schools in Uruguay and Paraguay.

• Kindergarten and pre-primary education is available in many countries, much of it provided by private organisations. The inicial year in Uruguay is the only country where any of this is part of compulsory schooling.
• Primary schools are not divided into separate infant and junior schools in any of the Hispanic American countries. There are often considerable differences between the facilities in rural and urban schools and a greater concentration of private schools in urban areas - e.g. in Uruguay, where there is also a significant number of private schools (both primary and secondary) for children with special educational needs.
• Secondary schools vary widely across the region, both in titles and organisation. As noted in the table of statistics in the section above, the end of compulsory schooling occurs from the end of the first year of secondary (Nicaragua and Panama) to the end of the third or fourth year of secondary in most countries (Only in Peru does compulsory education span the full secondary phase). In most countries there is a school leaving certificate at the end of the compulsory phase (see Qualifications and Acreditation) but the same secondary establishment provides continued optional schooling.

Uruguay is an exception: there are a number of lower secondary schools (Establecimientos de Educación Media Básica), with 237 of these (almost 35%) in Montevideo. Outside Montevideo there are also 61 Escuelas con Ciclo Básico Rural which offer a basic general education in rural areas. Vocational education also commences in separate schools at the start of the secondary phase, with three types of vocational establishments: 21 Centros de Ciclo Básico Tecnológico; 90 Escuelas de C.B.T. y Técnicas and 23 Escuelas Agrarias. None of these are private establishments.

Upper secondary schools in Uruguay (Establecimientos de Educación Media Superior) are largely housed i the same buildings as the Establecimientos de Educación Media Básica, but some are separate.

Secondary schools in Paraguay illustrate the wide variety of titles and organisations in secondary eduction across the region: they may be Colegios [or Colleges, in the case of the small number of foreign schools, notably US]; Escuelas Nacionales; Academies; High Schools; Centros de Educación Superior [these are secondary schools, in spite of appearing to provide tertiary education]; or Centros Educativos.

Further and Higher education in Hispanic America

All the countries in Hispanic America have universities, both private and public. Some of these have close links with other countries within the region - e.g. Universidad Iberoamericano, Mexico. Many also have strong links with USA and/or Spanish and Italian universities, reflecting two of the major cultural influences on the region - an example of this is the University of Bologna campus in Argentina. Several of them operate in more than one country - e.g. Universidad Centroamericana "José Simeón Cañas", which was founded in El Salvador, also operates in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.

Universities in Hispanic America

Wikipedia lists a total of 477 separate universities in countries covered by this report.

• Argentina - 95;
• Bolivia - 11;
• Chile - 34;
• Colombia - 31;
• Costa Rica - 11;
• Ecuador - 16;
• El Salvador - 12;
• Honduras - 5;
• Mexico - 213;
• Nicaragua - 2, plus a further 44 HEIs operating in some parts of the country;
• Panama - 32, but this list is sourced from Catalogue of World Universities and includes a considerable number based in other countries. The Ministry of Education accredits 5, and there is a sixth which does not have its courses accredited by the Ministry.
• Paraguay - 6;
• Peru - 21;
• Uruguay - 5;
• Venezuela - 9.

Polytechnics in Hispanic America

Wikipedia does not show detailed lists of clearly defined Polytechnics in the region. The American website Braintrack lists a number of Polytechnics: some of these are technological universities and some are specialised institutes within accredited universities. Removing these from the list, to avoid double counting, shows the following 18 institutions:

• Argentina - 2

1. Instituto Politécnico Superior -- Instituto Politécnico Superior "General San Martín" - Rosario
2. Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires -- Buenos Aires Institute of Technology - Buenos Aires

• Bolivia - none listed

• Chile - 1

1. Academia Politecnica Militar -- Academia Politecnica Militar, Santiago

• Colombia - 1

1. Escuela de Ingenieria de Antioquia -- Escuela de Ingenieria de Antioquia, Medellin

• Costa Rica - 3

1. CEFOF -- Centro de Transferencia Tecnológical, Alajuela
2. Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad -- Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad
3. Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica -- Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica

None of these three websites appears acessible.

• Ecuador - 3

1. Escuela Politecnica Nacional -- Escuela Politecnica Nacional, Quito
2. Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo -- Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo, Riobamba
3. ESPOL -- Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral

• El Salvador - none listed

• Guatemala - none listed

• Honduras - 1

1. Zamorano, Tegucigalpa -- Pan American School of Agriculture, Tegucigalpa

• Mexico - 5

1. Centro de Enseñanza Técnica Industrial -- Technical and Industrial Teaching Centre (CETI) - Guadalajara
2. Instituto Politécnico Nacional -- Instituto Politécnico Nacional
3. ITESM -- ITESM Campus Guadalajara
4. ITESO -- Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente, Guadalajara
5. ITESM Monterrey - Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey

• Nicaragua - none listed

• Panama - none listed

• Paraguay - none listed

• Peru - none listed

• Uruguay - 2

1. Escuela Superior de Electrotecnia y Electrónica -- Escuela Superior de Electrotecnia y Electrónica, Montevideo
2. ITM - Instituto Tecnológico de Montevideo, Montevideo

Neither website is accessible

Colleges in Hispanic America

The title 'College' is used almost indiscriminately across the region to describe a wide range of institutions, most of which only display a partial similarity to UK colleges. 'Colleges' in Hispanic America range from small rural organisations providing agricultural training, through some upper secondary schools (particularly private schools), to both general and specialised vocational training providers, post-graduate schools of some universities, notably USA based and even a USA Community College Brookdale Community College in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Most countries have vocational and professional training organisations, with a large majority in the public sector. There is a well developed network of 32 Instituciónes Técnicas Laborales (Technical colleges) in Colombia providing "Education for Work and Human Development" - vocational education focusing on labour market competences. Their programmes include education and training provided by businesses to their employees. The Colombian government promotes this kind of education as an alternative for university education, which is not accessible for the majority. Several of the leading Instituciónes Técnicas Laborales provide an extensive range of virtual programmes, delivered entirely online. Some of these - e.g. CESDE bear a strong resemblance to UK FE colleges.

Vocational education and training is highly developed in Uruguay. There are several colleges, especially in the Montevideo area, which have the same likenesses to UK FE colleges as in Colombia - e.g. Aldey Instituto, ISEDE and Instituto Agroveterinario. Although the Escuelas de C.B.T. y Técnica and the Escuelas Agrarias are classed by the Ministry as schools, their offer of higher level courses, following on from the lower secondary programme, are akin to the standard fare of vocational training in general FE and land-based colleges.

In Argentina there are 2129 'Superior no universitaria' (non-university colleges) providing tertiary education:

• 572 providing teacher training only
• 850 providing vocational training only
• 639 providing both teacher training and vocational training
• 68 providing general tertiary education.

Colleges along European lines providing further education and vocational training do not exist in Bolivia. However, NGOs provide vocational training, business administration skills, product marketing and micro-credit programmes to help parents, families and entire communities become self-sustaining.

In Panama there are around 80 Centros y Institutos Superiores providing tertiary level vocational programmes - Técnicos (technician and higher technician level training). Some of these offer programmes in a broad range of vocational areas, but most are specialised, providing training for one employment sector only.

Paraguay does not at present have a structure of colleges along the same lines as neighbouring countries and information about Peru is very sketchy.

Education reform in Hispanic America

There has been rapid development of the education systems in most Hispanic American countries over the past 15 years. Key areas include:

• Extending the years of compulsory education in some countries
• Using ICT to transform education and training - see the section on ICT in education for a broad picture
• Improving educational provision in rural areas - ICT is seen as a transformational tool
• Improving quality assurance
• Decentralising management functions
• Expanding higher education and professional training

References

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