Hard figures from an economic plan that deepened all existing crises. There are plenty of examples to determine that the sectors most affected by the economic crisis are the most neglected. The metropolitan area, made up of the City of Buenos Aires and some Buenos Aires towns, was surveyed in recent years by the Center for Research and Social Action and the Fundar association.
He recently published report determined that “42% of the young people surveyed between 19 and 24 years old dropped out of school. Of those who attend, 59% are overage. Behind these numbers, the discomfort that young people, families and educators describe with remarkable coincidence: classes that are frequently interrupted, learning that is not enough to sustain future trajectories, violence that enters. Without an idea of the future, the school as a bridge to something better falls apart.”
The document also ensures that 79% started working before the age of 18 and 36% before the age of 16. Among the examples is the case of Gastón (19) -described in this way in the report-, who states that he started working at 16 years knowing he had to support himself: “My mother always fought alone, without help from anyone; thanks to her we never lacked a plate of food. It’s no longer worth asking her for my expenses.”
For this work they conducted interviews with young people (601), to neighborhood caregivers in the year 2023 (453 households), 50 semi-structured interviews with young people between 16 and 24 years oldand 11 focus groups with mothers and young people from popular neighborhoods such as Villa 15/Ciudad Oculta in the City of Buenos Aires. The neighborhood Army of the Andes (Fuerte Apache) located in the Tres de Febrero districtin San Ambrosio and Barrio Miter in San Miguel and at Km 13 of the town of Quilmes.
“Inside the classrooms, profiles with very different trajectories coexist. What differentiates them is not individual abilities but living conditions. Teachers differentiate those who are committed from those who are disconnected (who attend but are not involved in learning and prioritize work) and from those who are conflictive, who reproduce the dynamics of the street in the classroom. One director estimates that only one 40% of its students have a life project linked to study”, adds the study.
The survey also includes semi-structured interviews with workers from 15 AMBA public schools: 4 schools in the City of Buenos Aires4 of Quilmes, February 3rd2 from San Miguel, 1 from Florencio Varela and 1 from Malvinas Argentinas. Three of these schools are at the primary level and 12 are at the secondary level..
In particular, 15 members of management teams were interviewed —many of whom also fulfill duties as teachers—, 5 teachers, 3 school counselors, 1 preceptor and 1 librarian. To guarantee anonymity, the names of those interviewed have been changed and references to the place where these schools are located are avoided.
Mental health in students
In several reports published in Time We put into context the emptying policies carried out by the government of the City of Buenos Aires regarding the School Guidance Teams (EOE). According to official data, these teams are collapsed.
The report from the Center for Research and Social Action and the Fundar association also revealed the appearance of several mental health illnesses and drug consumption. “52% of the young people surveyed report having suffered from anxiety and 37% from depression. 51% say that most of their friends use drugs and 15% admit to being or having been addicted,” the report details.
The place of schools
Among the foundations of the report, they explain that in popular neighborhoods, the school is not just another institution; As one director interviewed defines it, it is “the largest institution in the territory.” The data shows that 91% of the young people surveyed between 15 and 18 years old attend an educational establishment.
Complete secondary studies —the testimonies repeat—it allows you to get a job, leave the neighborhood, become independent, have projects, progress. This idea is at the core of the family mandate that young people receive: “finish high school so you can be someone in life.” Even among those who abandoned it, 90% still think about “someday” returning.
For mothers, ensuring that their children finish their studies is among the central purposes of parenting: “that they have a degree in hand, that they can work in something stable, not having to be begging or asking or anything, I wouldn’t want what we went through to happen”.
This conviction is also found in managers and teachers. In his words, the school is “the main tool for the future”“it gives them the possibility of having another reality,” “it shows them that they do not necessarily have to repeat the history of their parents.”
