,,department ,,of ,,the ,,interior      
,,bureau ,,of ,,education               
,,bulletin1 #aiai1 ,no4 #ei      ,,some 
,,phases ,,of ,,educational ,,progress  
,,in ,,latin ,,america      ,by         
,,walter ,a4 ,,montgomery               
,,specialist ,,in ,,foreign             
,,educational ,,systems    ,,bureau ,,of
 ,,education      ,advance ,sheets from 
the ,biennial ,survey of ,education1    
#aiaf-aiah      ,illustration3          
,,department ,,of ,,the ,,interior      
,,washington    ,,government ,,printing 
,,office    #aibj                       
,,additional ,,copies    ,,of ,,this    
,,publication ,,may ,,be ,,procured     
,,from    ,,the ,,superintendent ,,of   
,,documents    ,,government ,,printing  
,,office    ,,washington1 ,d4 ,c4       
,,at    #aj ,,cents ,,per ,,copy        
,,some ,,phases ,,of ,,educational      
,,progress ,,in ,,latin ,,america4      
,,by ,,walter ,a4 ,,montgomery1         
,specialist in ,foreign ,educational    
,systems1 ,bureau of ,education4        

,,contents4--,central ,america3         
,practical education2 ,guatemala2       
,salvador2   ,honduras2 ,costa ,rica2   
,nicaragua2 ,panama--,british ,guiana3  
,new school   regulation--,argentina3   
,preliminary2 illiteracy2 report of     
,national   ,council of ,education2     
progress of education in the ,provinces2
 changes   under the projected law of   
#aiah2 secondary education2 technical   
education2 normal-school training2      
higher education--,brazil3   ,vocational
 education--,chile3 ,preliminary2       
illiteracy2 primary   education2        
secondary education2 training of        
teachers2 technical                     
education--,uruguay3 ,general           
introduction2 primary education1 public 
and private2 rural schools2 medical     
inspection of schools2 secondary        
education2 commercial education2        
training of teachers2 higher            
education--,venezuela4                  
,,practical ,,education ,,in ,,central  
,,america4      ,one of the most        

interesting aspects of the school       
situation in ,central  ,america and     
,panama is the important position       
occupied by commercial  and industrial  
education in the courses of study of    
many institutions4  ,public men and     
teachers in ,guatemala1 ,salvador1      
,honduras1 ,nicaragua1  ,costa ,rica1   
and ,panama have taken into account the 
need of offering to  the new generation 
an education which shall be completely  
practical1  with the purpose of turning 
the thoughts and energies of all the    
youth  to fruitful service of their     
country4    ,the teaching of arts and   
crafts1 as well as that of commerce and 
agriculture1 was formerly not begun1 as 
in the ,united ,states1 upon the        
student's entering the secondary school1
 though there has for some time  been a 
movement to make such instruction a part
 of the work of the  advanced classes in
 the primary schools1 to be continued in
 the liceo  and the normal schools4     
,this universal interest in practical   

lines of education is a striking        
indication of the influences and        
tendencies now at work in ,central      
,america4 ,in the different countries   
included under this designation  there  
are schools and academies1 workshops and
 laboratories1 intended  for the        
practical education of the student body4
 ,when it is remembered  that the       
introduction of practical and industrial
 education in the  school rgime of      
,central ,america is a matter of the    
past few years1  the progress realized  
is regarded as highly satisfactory4 ,the
 rapid  increase of the commerce of     
,central ,america1 the improvement in   
the means of intercommunication1 the    
travels of its people abroad1  the      
influence of foreign elements in its    
territory1 and the various  interests   
thus awakened have aroused in the       
interior of the ,republics  composing it
 the belief that national greatness in  
modern times must  rest upon economic   
and industrial foundations4 ,the influx 

of foreign  capital and the consequent  
establishment of powerful industrial    
enterprises have likewise emphasized the
 necessity of training men  for work in 
such enterprises4 ,the introduction of  
modern machinery1  the increase of the  
different forms of the application of   
steam1 the  adoption of the inventions  
intended to gather up the results of    
labor1  and numerous similar influences 
have given rise to a tremendous demand  
in this part of the continent for       
skilled and reliable mechanics4         
,central ,america has thus addressed    
itself with enthusiasm to the task  of  
training the children of its schools for
 the activities of the  present day4    
,the capitals1 other important cities1  
and even many small towns  have schools 
devoted to practical education1         
generally provided  with buildings and  
equipment well adapted to this end4     
,honduras1  for example1 has founded a  
school for scientific instruction in the
  cultivation and preparation of tobacco

 and for the manufacture of  cigars and 
cigarettes in the tobacco district      
around ,danli4 ,in several  ,provinces  
of the same ,republic1 and in ,panama1  
where agriculture is  subordinate1 the  
,governments have founded schools for   
training pupils  to weave hats and other
 objects4    ,the more generalized      
industrial schools are those of arts and
 crafts  and the so-called practical    
schools for boys4 ,their organization   
presents marked differences4 ,in some of
 the countries named there exist        
schools that receive pupils either as   
full or half time boarders1  and offer  
night courses as the situation demands4 
,in all these  instruction is free4 ,the
 ,government generally offers a certain 
number  of scholarships in the boarding 
schools for pupils approved by the      
different ,departments or ,provinces of 
the country4 ,tools1 instruments1  and  
supplies used in the schools are        
provided by the ,government4 ,in  return
 the school exacts of such students     

certain services and thereby  carries   
out certain work that represents a      
partial reimbursement for  the amount   
spent upon their maintenance4 ,this is  
the case with the  schools of arts and  
crafts in ,honduras and ,panama4 ,some  
small schools  of this class are        
maintained by means of the labor they   
carry on for  private individuals and by
 the sale of the products they turn out4
    ,these industrial schools are       
generally of two kinds3 7#a7 ,those in  
which  the training in commercial       
subjects and in arts and crafts         
constitutes  part of the regular course 
of study and 7#b7 those devoted         
exclusively  to the teaching of arts and
 crafts4    7#a7 ,in those of the first 
class the pupils study the ordinary     
subjects  prescribed by the department  
of public instruction and devote only   
several hours weekly to arts and crafts4
 ,this class in its turn  includes two  
groups of institutions4 ,to be admitted 
to those of the  first group the pupils 

must know how to read and write and     
apply  the elementary rules of          
arithmetic4 ,during the entire school   
year  instruction is given in ,spanish1 
geography1 history1 and arithmetic4     
,the practical schools for girls and    
boys are generally of this kind1  being 
especially numerous in ,guatemala and   
,honduras4 ,the schools  conducted by   
the ,christian ,brothers in ,nicaragua  
are also of this  type4 ,the duration of
 studies is from three to five years1 a 
half  day being devoted to the classes  
in the ordinary subjects of primary     
education and the other half to         
practical work4 ,in the second group    
are comprised various institutions which
 require certificates from the  higher  
elementary schools1 such as the liceo   
and the higher colegio for  women in    
,costa ,rica1 the ,national ,institute  
in ,salvador1 the ,central  ,national   
,institute for ,boys in ,guatemala1 and 
the normal schools in  these countries  
and in ,honduras4    7#b7 ,of the       

special institutions which constitute   
the second category1  there are to be   
noted two prominent instances in the    
schools of arts  and crafts in ,panama  
and in ,honduras4 ,in organization and  
purposes they  are schools of mechanical
 arts1 and not schools of manual        
training4  ,their workshops have not    
been established to impart general      
notions of  manual arts or a general    
apprenticeship1 but to train the pupils 
from  entrance upon the line of         
education chosen by themselves4 ,in     
these  schools are taught carpentry1    
tanning1 shoemaking1 blacksmithing1     
cabinetmaking1 electricity1 installation
 and management of machinery1           
mechanics1 printing and bookbinding1    
telegraphy1 etc4 ,all workshops in  such
 schools are well equipped with         
machinery and tools4    ,all that has   
been said in regard to modern           
educational tendencies and  influences  
to which boys are subject in the        
countries mentioned can be  extended1   

though in less degree1 to the girls and 
young women4 ,within  the past few years
 women's sphere of action has steadily  
been enlarged1  and has come to include 
not only teaching but various           
employments  in shops and mercantile    
establishments4 ,within the next few    
years  their instruction must be taken  
into account in schools of domestic     
training1 vocational schools1 practical 
schools1 and the technical  colegios4   
,the organization and range of these    
institutions does not  differ materially
 from those for boys4 ,the vocational   
school for girls  is essentially a      
school of arts and crafts in which the  
pupils devote  themselves from entrance 
to the study of a special line1 such as 
dressmaking1 embroidery1 millinery1 and1
 in certain schools1 cooking1  washing  
and ironing1 etc4 ,a certificate of     
proficiency is granted them  upon the   
completion of certain assigned courses4 
,the other schools  for girls before    
mentioned combine general subjects with 

the special  apprenticeship in crafts   
upon which they enter as soon as they   
reach  the higher classes of the primary
 school and which they continue into    
the high school and the normal school4  
,,guatemala4      ,the type of          
industrial education that prevails in   
,guatemala is the  combination of       
general studies with special instruction
 in the arts and  trades given in the   
practical schools for girls and for     
boys4 ,there  also exists in the capital
 a school of arts and crafts for women  
where  instruction is given at the same 
time in the subjects of ordinary        
instruction4 ,in the departments of     
manual arts which are largely1 but  not 
exclusively1 attended by boys1 are      
taught theoretical and practical        
blacksmithing1 carpentry1 printing1     
bookbinding and weaving1 besides        
geography1 history1 botany1 chemistry1  
zoology1 geology1 drawing1 and  ,spanish
 language and literature4 ,in the       
schools of ,guatemala much  attention is

 given subjects of a practical nature1  
with the purpose  of training competent 
workmen and artisans4 ,there also exist 
in this  country a ,national ,school of 
,commerce1 situated in the capital1 and 
a  ,practical ,school of ,commerce1 at  
,quetzaltenango4 ,in both cities there  
are schools of agriculture which admit  
to their first-year courses the  pupils 
of the first year of the central normal 
schools4 ,the capital  possesses also a 
school of telegraphy1 recently founded  
with the view  to installing in it a    
special wireless station4               
,,salvador4      ,arts and crafts for   
women1 commercial subjects and          
mechanical arts1  are generally taught  
in ,salvador in the public schools1     
though their  incorporation in the      
courses of instruction is comparatively 
recent4  ,many prominent teachers of the
 country have taken the pains to spread 
abroad the appreciation of the necessity
 of 8enlarging the educational  sphere  
of the ,state1 and opening to the youth 

and to workmen schools  where they may  
acquire practical knowledge of the      
sciences and the  arts and by these     
means may contribute to the advancement 
of general  intelligence in the         
country40 ,in compliance with these     
ideas the  ,government has founded in   
,salvador a ,national ,school of        
,graphic ,arts  aiming 8to aid the youth
 of ,salvador to the acquisition of     
knowledge  of a practical nature1 and to
 put it in a position to be successful  
in the economic struggles which are the 
most important signs of the  modern     
age40 ,in this school the preference is 
given to the teaching  of physics1      
mechanics1 drawing1 printing1           
lithographing1 carving1  bookbinding1   
and technical telegraphy and            
telephoning4 ,night courses  are also   
given in this school4    ,in consequence
 of the public sentiment above          
mentioned1 there has been  opened in the
 ,national ,institute of ,salvador a    
course in commercial  and economic      

subjects lasting three years4 ,this     
course comprises the  study of various  
modern languages1 commercial law1       
political economy1  industrial          
chemistry1 commercial geography1        
bookkeeping1 stenography  and           
typewriting4 ,the pupils in this school 
are required to work several  hours     
daily for a period in the different     
ministerial departments  before         
graduation4 ,salvador also established  
in #aiac a school of  agriculture1 with 
a department of animal husbandry4 ,two  
years later  there was established the  
,technical-,practical ,colegio for      
,girls1 in  which instruction in crafts 
for women is combined with that in      
general  subjects4          ,,honduras4 
,industrial instruction has attained    
great importance in ,honduras4 ,the     
,school of ,arts and ,crafts of         
,tegucigalpa concerns itself chiefly    
with  products in wood and the metals   
and is steadily training artisans and   
mechanics4 ,there likewise exists in    

this city the national automobile       
school managed by the ,government4 ,for 
some years there has been in  operation 
in ,siguatepeque a school of ,english   
and of arts and crafts1  in which are   
taught fiber weaving1 carpentry1        
dressmaking1 and  embroidery4 ,in the   
normal schools and in the two colegios  
students may  choose between the        
commercial courses and those relating to
 arts and  crafts4 ,in #aiae was        
established a technical practical school
 for girls1  where courses in science   
and in crafts for women are offered     
parallel  with the subjects belonging to
 the primary schools4          ,,costa  
,,rica4      ,costa ,rica is another of 
the ,central ,american countries where  
practical  instruction is combined with 
general4 ,five institutions of higher   
grade  and the vocational schools for   
women have well-equipped workshops1     
laboratories1 kitchens1 and laundries4  
,of all ,central ,american ,states1     
,costa ,rica gives perhaps most         

attention to this special branch of     
instruction4 ,it is noteworthy that     
manual arts and domestic science are    
uniformly taught in the secondary       
schools conjointly with the literary    
and purely scientific subjects4         
,,nicaragua4      ,in ,nicaragua manual 
arts form part of the general           
instruction1 as has  been seen in the   
case of the normal schools conducted by 
the ,christian  ,brothers4 ,girls       
receive practical instruction in the    
normal schools4  ,some years ago there  
was established a special school for the
 training  of telegraph and telephone   
operators4          ,,panama4      ,like
 ,guatemala and ,honduras1 ,panama has  
devoted special attention  to industrial
 training4 ,the ,school of ,arts and    
,crafts of the ,city  of ,panama is one 
of the largest and best equipped of its 
kind4 ,it  is essentially a school for  
artisans and possesses sections of      
electricity1 carpentry1 cabinetmaking1  
printing and bookbinding1  carving1     

foundry work1 etc41 its principal object
 being to train men  for the separate   
industrial branches4    ,panama also has
 a vocational school for girls in which 
a year's  instruction is given in       
telegraphy1 one in laundry work1 two in 
dressmaking and embroidery1 two in      
shorthand1 two in cooking1 two in       
millinery and flower work4    ,it has   
likewise a school of agriculture1 in    
which is given a three  years' course1  
for which the ,government offers #cj    
scholarships to  youths approved by     
local authorities4 ,the ,government has 
also founded  from time to time         
specialized schools in the interior1    
with the object  of encouraging         
agriculture or some other industry1 such
 as that of the  manufacture of ,panama 
hats4 ,like ,honduras1 ,panama devotes  
the greatest  attention to special      
industrial schools4    ,for the         
furtherance of commercial education in  
,central and ,south  ,america a ,pan    
,american ,college of ,commerce1 to be  

located at the ,city  of ,panama1 is    
projected1 under the joint auspices of  
the ,southern  ,commercial ,congress of 
the ,united ,states and the ,government 
of the  ,republic of ,panama4 ,the      
active support of the countries of the  
two  ,americas is to be sought1 and it  
is hoped that it may be opened on       
,january #a1 #aiba1 the quadricentennial
 year of the ,city of ,panama1  the     
first city to be founded by ,europeans  
in the ,western ,hemisphere4  ,the      
college is designed to train the youth  
of the two continents in  practical     
courses of commerce1 shipping1 banking1 
and international  trade relations      
generally4          ,,new ,,school      
,,regulations ,,in ,,british ,,guiana4  
,the last report of the director of     
primary instruction in ,british  ,guiana
 outlines a new regulation for the      
common schools4 ,in many of  its parts  
it includes novel measures of school    
organization which  are of interest as  
suggestions to other ,south ,american   

,states for  similar action4 ,the       
regulations relate to the classification
 of  schools1 the minimum period of     
attendance1 the age limit of pupils1    
the occupations of pupils after leaving 
school1 school gardens1 etc4  ,as an    
instance of its stringent character1 the
 regulation decrees  that when any      
school ceases to conform to certain     
conditions with  regard to building1    
installation1 equipment1 and health     
conditions1 it  shall be classified in  
,b category2 and if within #f months it 
has not  satisfied the requirements of  
the regulation1 the authorities shall   
suspend the ,government aid hitherto    
granted4 ,it is to be noted that the    
primary schools of ,british ,guiana are 
not directly administered by the        
authorities4    ,the school also loses  
its governmental aid if within two      
consecutive  years it does not maintain 
a fixed minimum attendance1 which varies
  according to the population of the    
locality in which it is situated4 ,in   

return special aids are offered for     
schools that teach gardening for  boys  
and the care of smaller children for    
girls from #ab to #ad years4    ,the    
greatest educational need of the colony 
is the establishment of  technical      
primary schools for the instruction of  
boys and girls from  #aa to #ae years4  
,it is projected to establish two such  
schools in  ,georgetown in which there  
shall be taught1 in addition to manual  
arts  and other craft1 drawing in all   
its branches1 arithmetic and geography  
as related to commerce1 the rudiments of
 experimental science1  shorthand1 and  
business correspondence4 ,criticism has 
been directed  against the omission of  
instruction in agriculture1 which is    
admitted  to be the most necessary      
branch in the colony4 ,it is1 however1  
intended  to impart agricultural        
instruction in special schools to be    
established4    ,because of the fact    
that the majority of the pupils leave   
school before  reaching #ab years1 it is

 not possible to put into practice      
suggested  plans of giving them         
preoccupational instruction in which    
they might  be making a start before the
 end of their primary-school studies4   
,on  the other hand the traditional     
primary school is not adequate to give  
direction toward a vocational subject4  
,hence1 to the regret of the            
authorities1 attempts to link the       
primary school with the occupation of   
the pupil have been abandoned4    ,much 
interest has been developed in school   
gardening2 and about #ajj  gardens are  
annexed to primary schools1 affording   
practical instruction  to pupils in     
agriculture and horticulture4 ,the      
,government has also  established #h    
model gardens1 where instruction is     
given the pupils of  neighboring        
schools4          ,,argentina4          
,,preliminary4    ,two well-defined     
stages have marked the progress of      
national education  in ,argentina since 
#aiaf4 ,the first began with the        

reorganization of  primary instruction  
by act of the ,federal ,congress early  
in that year1  which came about largely 
through the initiative and efforts of   
the  minister of public instruction4 ,it
 had long been felt that the legal      
system in force since #ahhb was         
unsatisfactory1 especially on the point 
of articulation of secondary education  
with the higher elementary  on the one  
hand and with the universities on the   
other4 ,argentine  educational thinkers 
asserted that secondary education       
prepared neither  for practical life nor
 for entrance to the technical schools  
and the  universities1 inasmuch as it   
had remained unchanged for more than  a 
generation1 in the face of the social1  
economic1 scientific1 and  ethnical     
changes through which the country had   
passed4    ,together with this          
dissatisfaction with a special division 
went the  conviction that governmental  
reform should strike deeper1 and instead
  of busying itself with plans of reform

 of courses and schedules1  should      
settle the fundamental question of what 
should be the nature  and aims of the   
national secondary school4 ,this could  
be done only  by so modifying the       
prevailing system as to make it fit the 
needs of  the school population         
according to their age1 social          
conditions1 and  probable future4 ,proof
 that it had not so adapted itself was  
thought  to be found in the fact that of
 the pupils annually completing the     
#d;a elementary grade only #de per cent 
continued into the colegios  nacionales1
 as contrasted with #ee per cent who    
went into the #e;a grade  and commercial
 schools1 while on a moderate estimate  
#fj per cent left  with insufficient    
equipment for their needs as useful     
members of  society4 ,furthermore1 the  
secondary school1 as organized1 offered 
no  opportunity to boys and girls of #ac
 and #ad years to choose the advanced   
courses and vocational training for     
which they felt an aptitude1 and  so to 

secure adequate preparation for the     
university studies or for  advanced     
technical1 industrial1 and commercial   
schools4    ,for this lack of           
correlation between educational         
divisions it was  proposed to substitute
 a logical and unbroken sequence4 ,what 
came  to be commonly accepted among     
education authorities as best serving   
this purpose was a common intermediate  
school of three years of an  essentially
 practical character1 carrying on       
general elementary  instruction by means
 of book lessons and developing by      
special  experiments and practical      
methods individual aptitudes by which to
  determine future training4 ,as the    
basis for such a school primary         
education had1 of course1 to be         
modified1 and after months of           
discussion a scheme for general         
modification of the entire educational  
fabric was outlined 7#aiaf74 ,according 
to this1 the primary school  proper was 
to cover four years2 the uniform middle 

school of the first  grade one year2 and
 the differentiated middle school of the
 second  grade two years4 ,upon these   
were to be based the colegios           
nacionales1  the normal schools1 the    
industrial schools1 the various higher  
special  schools1 and the national      
universities4 ,though marking a         
meritorious  attempt to articulate the  
several divisions1 the project did not  
work  out satisfactorily in actual      
operation1 and as a constituent part of 
the national system it was repealed     
after about a year of operation4        
,,illiteracy4    ,on a basis of         
population estimated 7#aiag7 at slightly
 more than eight  millions1 #gbe1jjj    
were estimated to be illiterate1 about  
#db per cent  of the school population4 
,illiteracy is most rife in remote      
,provinces  of the ,andes and in the    
,territories1 sparsely settled and      
inhabited by  people of roving habits   
and poorly developed industrially4      
,under the  lead of the director general

 of the schools of the ,province of     
,mendoza1  a systematic campaign to     
eliminate illiteracy was begun in #aiaf4
 ,it  was recognized that financial     
considerations made it impossible to    
establish the number of primary schools 
which would be demanded1  certainly not 
for the many remote points where only   
the legal minimum  of #ae or #bj        
illiterates were to be found4 ,home     
schools 7escuelas del  hogar7 were      
therefore established1 officially       
ranking as auxiliary to  the already    
existent schools1 for illiterates of #h 
to #bj years1 and  offering as a minimum
 curriculum reading1 writing1 the four  
fundamental  operations of arithmetic1  
the duties of the ,argentine citizen1   
elements  of ethics1 and personal       
hygiene4 ,such schools may begin any day
 of the  year1 and with a minimum of    
five pupils4 ,any person desiring to    
open  such a school must fulfill the    
following conditions3    7a7 ,he must be
 at least #bj years of age1 of good     

moral reputation1  certified by the     
chief civil official of his residence4  
7b7 ,he must speak the national language
 correctly and be able to give          
instruction in it4    ,such schools     
shall not be established at less        
distance than #e  kilometers from an    
established primary school supported by 
national1  provincial1 or local funds1  
but if the school be intended           
exclusively  for boys from #ae to #bj   
years old it may be located at any      
point4 ,such  schools are to be visited 
freely by school and civil authorities1 
and  by persons designated by the       
provincial general inspectors4          
,related in character to the escuelas   
del hogar of the ,province are  the     
escuelas tutoriales1 established by     
national decree of #aiaf1  applying to  
all the ,provinces and especially to the
 ,territories4  ,in these schools1      
established at points designated by the 
,national  ,council of ,education1 any  
number of children not regularly        

enrolled in  the primary schools may be 
taught by private individuals who       
conform  to the requirements of primary 
teachers1 and by teachers regularly     
engaged in primary work4 ,the latter1 by
 special exception1 receive  additional 
compensation for such instruction4 ,the 
same law also  provides remuneration1 to
 be fixed by the general council of     
education  of the ,province or          
,territory for all persons1 not         
teachers1 who are  certificated to have 
taught illiterates1 whether children or 
adults1 to  read and write4    ,most    
novel of all undertakings for the wiping
 out of illiteracy are  the traveling   
schools 7escuelas ambulantes74 ,provided
 for by the  original organic school law
 of #ahhd1 these schools were not1      
because  of lack of funds1 put into     
operation until #aiad4 ,up to that time 
there  was a conviction that their need 
was insignificant by contrast with  the 
greater problem of illiteracy in the    
cities1 and that to scatter  funds      

available for combating illiteracy was  
not prudent4 ,how serious  this mistake 
was appeared in #aiad when it was       
ascertained by systematic  count that of
 nearly #ce1jjj children of the         
,territories not in school  only #f1jjj 
lived in towns4    ,located first in    
,province of ,catamarca1 and in the     
mountain regions  of ,rio ,negro and the
 ,chubut1 these schools are built of    
materials  easily transportable1 and    
accommodate an average of #be pupils4   
,sites  are selected for them which are 
most accessible to the largest number   
of children in the district4 ,teachers  
traverse such regions on foot  or       
muleback1 carrying necessary equipment  
for instruction1 and remain  four and   
one-half months at each place1 giving   
instruction in reading1  writing1       
elements of arithmetic1 and hygiene4 ,a 
decided advantage is  found in this     
succinct curriculum1 the average of     
successful study  by the pupils of these
 schools being1 it is claimed1 fully on 

a par  with that of the pupils of the   
nine months' primary schools1 who are   
required to take the standard number of 
subjects4    ,within their first two    
years of existence1 #bj of these schools
 were  established1 as reported by the  
,national ,council of ,education in     
,december1 #aiaf2 and #ab were added in 
#aiag4 ,the report of the inspector     
general of the ,province of ,mendoza    
concluded as follows3     ,this new type
 of school must exist for many years in 
,argentina to   answer the needs of the 
actual distribution of the population1  
the   lack of adequate means of         
communication1 and the impossibility of 
maintaining fixed schools in the greater
 part of the zones engaged   in         
agriculture and cattle raising4 ,it     
behooves the authorities1   therefore1  
to continue the improvement of the      
system in such manner   that its        
efficiency shall be steadily greater1   
and that results shall   amply          
compensate for their maintenance4    ,an

 interesting phase of social conscience 
is shown in the generous  offer of the  
women pupils of the third and fourth    
years of the normal  school at ,santa   
,fe to instruct illiterates afternoons  
and nights in  reading1 writing1 the    
elements of arithmetic1 national        
language and  history1 and practical    
personal and school hygiene4 ,this offer
 has  been highly commended both by     
,argentine and foreign educators as a   
step toward solving the problem of      
illiteracy1 worthy of imitation         
nationally and locally4    ,the struggle
 against illiteracy has been the subject
 of serious  consideration by the       
executive1 the chief school authorities1
 and the  ,congress4 ,the executive has 
constantly urged the ,national ,council 
of  ,education to intensify its         
campaigns and has cooperated by all     
means in  his power in the steady       
diffusion of education4 ,the ,houses of 
,congress  have also busied themselves  
especially with this grave problem4     

,these  efforts have borne fruit which1 
if not visible at the present time1 is  
certainly destined to raise the level of
 popular education within the  next few 
years4 ,the authorities have judged that
 what is needed is the  patient labor   
which does not require an immediate and 
striking solution  of a most difficult  
problem1 but is willing to continue to  
exercise an  ever-increasing influence  
upon the rising generation1 confident of
 the  spread of education and           
enlightenment with the increase of      
population  and the improvement in means
 of communication2 and that it is not   
wise to sow schools broadcast throughout
 the ,republic merely for the  pleasure 
of doing something and of doing it      
rapidly4 ,the success of the  struggle  
against illiteracy1 certain as it is1   
has its roots not in  merely spending   
much money1 but in spending money well4 
,,report ,,of ,,national ,,council ,,of 
,,education4    ,the progress of        
education in ,argentina is best         

epitomized in the report  of the        
,national ,council of ,education for the
 four years ending ,december  #ca1      
#aiaf4 ,the character of this council is
 unique in educational  polity1         
wielding1 as it does1 greater powers    
than any similar body  in countries     
educationally advanced1 and counting in 
its membership  some of the ablest men  
in the ,nation4 ,its reports follow     
traditionally  the line of national 7the
 capital city71 provincial1 and         
territorial  administration4 ,when the  
very heterogeneous character of the     
population  of ,argentina1 due to the   
steady stream of immigration1 is taken  
into  account1 the necessity of such a  
central body1 vested with powers  of    
initiation and execution in primary     
education1 is apparent4 ,by  a wise     
division of powers in the original      
organic law1 the control  of secondary  
education was left in the hands of the  
,provinces1 with  subsidies granted by  
the ,national ,government1 as was the   

right to  prescribe subjects essential  
to nationalistic and patriotic training4
  ,concentration of effort and power is 
thus secured1 with national             
acquiescence in the official actions of 
the council4 ,its activities  center    
naturally around the establishment of   
new schools and the  construction of    
school buildings1 and the training of   
teachers to meet  the demands of modern 
conditions4    ,as a substitute for the 
abortive intermediate schools           
established in  #aiaf1 which soon proved
 unsatisfactory1 the council decided    
later in  that year to establish1       
parallel and auxiliary to the higher    
primary  schools1 one of practical arts 
and crafts for each sex in every        
district of ,buenos ,aires4 ,such       
schools approximated #ajj in number4    
,this type of school was designed for   
boys and girls not intending to  proceed
 to higher studies1 and was later to be 
extended to the nation  at large4 ,its  
purpose and program of studies was      

two-fold--to complete  the theoretical  
and higher courses of the higher primary
 schools with  vocational1 technical1   
and manual training1 based upon and     
making  use of the materials which were 
peculiarly ,argentine and local in      
industries1 commerce1 art1 and          
economics2 and to lay stress throughout 
on nationalistic and patriotic aims4 ,an
 interesting feature1 common to  these  
new schools and the continuation schools
 now arising in ,england  and ,france1  
is the provision by which they operate  
#b hours in the  morning and #b hours in
 the afternoon or night1 and are to     
admit pupils  from the fourth to the    
sixth grade of the primary schools1 who 
have  reached the age of #ab years4     
,statistics as to the success of these  
schools are not as yet available4    ,in
 the matter of building primary schools 
proper1 the report of the  council shows
 progress throughout the four years     
covered4 ,a total of #fb  schools1 with 
#dbf teachers and #ai1efc pupils1 was   

added to the system4  ,because of       
national economic and financial         
conditions prevailing  half a century   
ago1 the great majority of the primary  
schools began  operation in private     
buildings1 which did not conform to     
pedagogical  or even sanitary           
requirements4 ,for many years excessive 
rents were  often paid by the ,state1   
but upon the revaluation of property in 
many  ,provinces in #aiae1 an economy in
 rents was effected1 and the funds thus 
saved were devoted to new schools4      
,despite high prices of material  and   
difficulties of labor1 in ,december1    
#aiaf1 eleven school buildings  were in 
process of erection1 at an estimated    
cost of #gej1jjj1 with a  capacity of   
#bb1jjj pupils4 ,according to the report
 of the council3 8,the  construction of 
properly equipped ,government primary   
school buildings  has constituted one of
 the most serious problems and1         
therefore1 one  of the chief occupations
 of the council40 ,it was frankly       

admitted1  however1 that1 with all the  
efforts of the council1 accommodations  
for  children in the primary schools    
were still far from adequate1 it being  
estimated on that date that #d1jjj      
additional schools of this grade  were  
needed for the more than #fjj1jjj       
children in the capital and the         
,territories who1 for one reason or     
another1 were not in school4    ,the    
activity of the council continued to be 
marked in #aiag4 ,in ,april of  that    
year1 #adc new schools were decreed1 #ci
 for the ,federal ,capital1 #ah  for the
 ,provinces under the legal national    
subvention1 and #hf for the             
,territories 7#cj being escuelas        
ambulantes71 the ,congress voting two   
millions in the national budget for the 
execution of this decree4 ,the          
centralizing tendencies of ,south       
,american countries in general1 and  the
 overwhelming dominance of the capital1 
secured for it so generous  a share of  
this that it is estimated that in the   

,federal capital there  will be for the 
first time room for all children of     
school age4 ,for the  poorer ,provinces1
 and the ,territories1 which by the     
,tainez law of #ahhf  are absolutely    
dependent upon the central authority of 
the ,national  ,council1 #bej schools of
 one and two rooms were assigned1 but on
 an  estimate about one-third of the    
children were still left unprovided     
with school facilities4 ,attention was  
repeatedly called to the need of  a     
uniform and rigorously applied national 
law for compulsory school  attendance4  
,during the year #aiah approximately    
#djj schools were established1 and  the 
council proposes to establish as many   
more during #aiai in the  ,provinces and
 the national ,territories4 ,the nation 
has taken charge  of many provincial    
schools which the respective governments
 could not  maintain by reason of lack  
of resources4 ,the ,province of ,mendoza
 alone  transferred #acj schools to the 
council of education during the month of

  ,august1 #aiah4 ,relative to the      
establishment of schools1 regard has    
been  had chiefly to the population of  
the districts which petitioned for      
them1 as well as the number of children 
of school age1 in order that  the       
buildings may be installed in populous  
centers1 where a constant  attendance of
 pupils is reasonably assured4    ,the  
general plan of the council for the     
diffusion of primary education  has not 
been put into practice in full1 because 
of the lack of  resources in some       
instances and in others because of the  
scarcity of  building materials in the  
country4 ,school equipment has been     
secured  in various countries1 supplies 
necessary having been purchased in the  
,united ,states to the value of         
#cej1jjj4 ,the demand has been still    
unsatisfied1 the capital city alone     
calling for the establishment of  new   
schools every year1 because of the      
increase of children of school  age1 and
 the ,provinces have always been behind 

the necessary number of  school         
buildings and facilities and have never 
reached the goal set  by the            
authorities4 ,an encouraging feature of 
the situation is that  upon the         
completion of all the school buildings  
now under construction  accommodations  
for #ef1jjj pupils in addition will be  
provided4    ,peculiar attention has    
been given to the development of night  
schools by the council1 #hf having been 
established and maintained by  the      
council in the four years covered by the
 report4 ,an admirably  broadened scope 
was given them in the appeal issued by  
the council to  the nation that the full
 purpose of such schools should be      
realized  not only by the attendance of 
illiterates1 but also of youths and     
adults 8who1 possessing some degree of  
education1 are also desirous of         
improving that as related to the needs  
of their lives40 ,all reforms  and      
modifications of night schools have     
concerned themselves with this  larger  

clientele4 ,a further socializing of the
 night school is seen in  the appeal of 
the council to proprietors1 managers of 
factories1 and  employers of labor      
generally to encourage in every way in  
their power  their employees to attend  
night schools and to offer prizes of    
various  kinds for diligence and        
progress4 ,literature bearing on these  
schools  was distributed free by the    
council4    ,in #aiae the council was   
empowered1 by the terms of the will of a
  philanthropic resident of ,buenos     
,aires1 ,don ,felix ,berasconi1 who     
bequeathed for educational purposes a   
sum of three and a half million         
dollars1 to proceed to the erection and 
establishment of an institution  under  
,state control which should give        
instruction in general primary1         
scientific1 scientific-industrial1      
physical1 and social education4 ,a      
building was to be begun in #aiaf1      
planned in seven sections1 conforming   
to the most modern pedagogical and      

sanitary demands1 and with a  capacity  
of more than #c1jjj pupils4 ,designed to
 benefit the working  people            
preeminently1 it was to be situated in  
the section of the city  showing the    
greatest proportion of them4            
,responding to the general feeling of   
dissatisfaction with the results  of    
primary education in the city of ,buenos
 ,aires1 which has been  unaffected by  
criticism for seven years1 the council  
in ,june1 #aiag1  sent out              
questionnaires to all inspectors and to 
the body of teachers  calling for an    
expression of opinion as to 7#a7 the    
merits and defects  of the plans of     
studies1 schedules1 etc41 then in force2
 7#b7 those of  projected or possible   
programs1 with additional features      
worthy to  be incorporated2 and 7#c7    
educational considerations bearing upon 
the  problems of the schools of the     
capital4 ,the answers showed encouraging
  grasp of the educational needs of the 
city1 with significant unanimity  as to 

the practical methods of working out    
necessary reforms4 ,salient  points     
were3    #a4 ,that all programs should  
leave room for and be closely           
articulated  with manual arts and       
domestic economy4    #b4 ,that the      
courses of arithmetic in the first1     
second1 third1 fourth1  and fifth grades
 were overloaded1 as were those of      
grammar in the  fourth1 geometry in the 
third and fifth1 nature study in the    
second1  geography in the second and    
fifth1 singing in the second1 and music4
    #c4 ,that the primary school cycle  
should commence at #g years and end at  
#ab4    #d4 ,that primary courses and   
schedules for urban schools should be   
strictly differentiated from those for  
rural and country town schools4    #e4  
,that from ,october #ae to ,april #ae   
the school day should be from #g4cj  to 
#aa4cj2 from ,april #ae to ,september   
#cj from #ab to #d4    #f4 ,that the    
advancement of the teacher with the     
class merited a fair  trial1 the teacher

 remaining with the same class a minimum
 of two years  and a maximum of three4  
#g4 ,that the establishment of normal   
schools essentially for rural  teachers 
was imperative4    ,it is recognized    
that the clearness and sanity of these  
answers had a  marked effect upon the   
substance of the law presented to the   
,federal  ,congress in ,august1 #aiah4  
,another interesting instance of the    
submission of a pedagogic matter to  the
 teachers of the city of ,buenos ,aires 
is shown in the questionnaire  asking   
their opinion as to the best method of  
teaching spelling1  sent out by the     
inspector of the tenth district1 to the 
teachers4 ,in  accordance with the      
answers to this1 the vocabulary used in 
primary  schools was reduced to         
categories corresponding to the several 
grades1  to its difficulties1 and to the
 actual needs of the life and dominant  
occupations of the quarter of the city  
from which the children were  drawn4    
,this step was highly commended in      

,french educational circles as  marking 
efficient grappling with pedagogical    
difficulties felt in all  cities of     
whatsoever country4    ,the regulation  
of the medical and dental inspection of 
national  schools1 under decree of      
,march1 #aiah1 was noteworthy4          
,according to  this1 professional       
inspectors1 chosen by the ,government1  
must within  the first three months of  
each school year examine individually   
all  children entering school for the   
first time1 periodically inspect the    
school buildings and ground and the     
health conditions of the teaching  and  
administrative staffs1 and take all     
prophylactic measures deemed  necessary 
against epidemics and contagious        
diseases4 ,such reports shall  be       
transmitted to the medical inspector    
general4 ,dental inspection of  schools 
is to have a prominent part4 ,every     
month the chief inspector  shall        
assemble for report and mutual          
discussion all medical and dental       

inspectors in such territorial divisions
 as he shall see fit4    ,of the        
regulations in detail promulgated by the
 council in #aiah1 the  most important  
is that changing the school year to two 
divisions1 the  first beginning ,march  
#a and continuing until ,june #cj1      
followed by three  weeks of vacation1   
and the second beginning ,july #ba and  
continuing  until ,november #bj1        
followed by the long vacation of the    
year4 ,this  change is regarded as      
conforming with climatic effects upon   
the health  of school children and as   
being a step long needed4               
,,progress ,,of ,,education ,,in ,,the  
,,provinces4    ,outside the scope of   
the ,national ,council are the powers of
 the  provincial councils4 ,these are   
local1 auxiliary1 and reinforcing in    
character4 ,some of the ,provinces are  
practically inactive on the side  of    
primary education1 contenting themselves
 with the provisions made  in that field
 by the ,national ,government4 ,others1 

however1 among them  ,santa ,fe1 ,san   
,luis1 ,cordoba1 ,entre ,rios1 and1 of  
course1 ,buenos  ,aires1 are worthy of  
note and commendation for steady        
interest in  matters educational1 and in
 financial support of schools carried on
  independently of the central          
authority4    ,progress in the ,province
 of ,santa ,fe1 as evidenced by the     
annual  message of the governor of that 
,province for #aiag1 was steady1 despite
  the need of economy in provincial     
finances due to conditions resulting    
from the ,world ,war4 ,an increase of   
#ad provincial schools over the year    
previous and of the grades in #cf       
schools was noted4 ,two problems were   
kept steadily in view3 ,the improvement 
in the teaching personnel1  accentuated 
by the disclosure of the fact that more 
than one-third of  the teachers in the  
provincial schools lacked teacher       
training1 and the  construction of      
better school buildings4 ,it was        
estimated that with  these from #be to  

#cj per cent of additional pupils could 
be taught by  the same teaching force4  
,in the ,province of ,san ,luis the     
general inspector of provinces reported 
for #aiaf the establishment of #afj     
local associations of the national      
,amigos de la ,educacion4 ,this society1
 composed of parents and others         
interested in primary education1 has for
 its objects the close linking  of home 
and school1 the fight against           
illiteracy1 the promotion of  good      
feeling and companionship between       
natives and immigrants1 the  celebration
 of national festivals1 the securing of 
better primary  enrollment and          
attendance especially by the poorer     
children1 with the  inculcation of their
 self-respect1 and cooperation with the 
regional  and national authorities in   
the safeguarding of public health4      
,in this ,province1 by volunteer        
organizations of teachers and others    
interested1 local patriotic conferences 
were inaugurated on topics  of national 

history1 hygiene1 political economy1    
ethics1 and themes  generally related to
 home and school matters4    ,in the    
,province of ,buenos ,aires school      
excursions have been developed  and made
 an organic part of instruction in civic
 and national spirit4  ,they have been  
so arranged that children in the several
 zones may come  by personal touch to   
know and correspond by letter with each 
other4 ,in  some places participation in
 these excursions has been made a reward
  of good lessons and conduct4 ,they are
 to be taken in the last #ae days  of   
,october1 and children are not to remain
 more than #c days in one  locality4    
,groups of not more than #ab pupils are 
recommended4    ,in ,july1 #aiaf1 the   
council general of the ,province of     
,buenos ,aires  initiated courses in the
 normal school for the training of      
teachers  and graduates of the normal   
schools in the recognition and study of 
retardation and its causes1 and in early
 correction of abnormalities  most      

frequently met4 ,the program of courses 
includes a series of #af  lessons on    
related medical and pedagogical topics4 
,of direct bearing upon educational     
problems among the rural population  is 
the project of the law recently sent by 
the executive of the  ,province of      
,buenos ,aires to the legislature1      
providing for the issuance  of bonds to 
the amount of #de1jjj1jjj for the       
expropriation of parts of  the great    
landed estates and the division of the  
land thus expropriated  into small      
tracts for the use of small farmers4    
,subsequent purchase  under advantageous
 terms is to be encouraged4 ,according  
to reports1 the  prevailing system of   
8arrendatorios10 or small tenants for   
short terms1  has led to so acute an    
agrarian unrest1 with the consequent    
shifting  and aimless wandering of an   
increasing element of the population1 as
  to constitute a social and economic   
menace no longer to be ignored4  ,the   
educational effects in the increase of  

illiteracy and the general  retardation 
of primary education have been manifest4
    ,in #aiah the ,legislature of the   
,province of ,entre ,rios enacted into  
law a series of provisions guaranteeing 
the stability of the scale of  salaries 
for teachers in provincial schools4     
,promotion and increase  of salary were 
based rigorously upon merit2 teachers   
were declared  unremovable during good  
conduct and fitness2 initial salaries   
were  fixed as follows3 7a7 ,for normal 
teacher1 #afj per month2 7b7 for  rural 
normal teacher1 #abj per month2 7c7 for 
rural teacher1 #ajj per  month2 7d7 for 
special teacher1 #hj per month4 ,every  
five years the  teacher who has worked  
in the same place for that period shall 
receive  a bonus of #bj per cent on his 
initial salary4    ,the government of   
the ,province of ,cordoba has approved a
 plan for the  introduction of          
agricultural courses in the primary     
schools1 presented  and prepared by     
experts in agronomy and pedagogy1       

without dislocation  of existing courses
 and schedules4    ,the inspectors of   
this ,province presented for the        
consideration of the  provincial chamber
 of deputies the project of a law to    
establish a  normal school for the      
preparation of rural teachers           
exclusively1 the  courses offered being3
    7a7 ,the development of subjects    
related to fundamental studies in the   
primary schools2    7b7 ,practice       
teaching adapted to the needs of the    
primary schools of  the locality2 and   
7c7 ,elementary teaching1 both          
theoretical and practical1 in manual    
arts1 agriculture and cattle breeding1  
and minor rural industries4    ,private 
schools conforming to governmental      
requirements were legally  recognized   
and incorporated by decree of #aiag and 
their consequent  validation effected4  
,pupils of the fifth and sixth grades of
 such  private schools applying for     
leaving certificates are required to    
undergo an examination upon all subjects

 for those grades of the  official      
national programs before a board of     
three members appointed by  the         
inspector4    ,officially apart from the
 ,ministry of ,public ,education but    
calling for  special mention was the    
establishment in #aiag under the        
encouragement  of the ,national         
,department of ,agriculture of #af      
schools in rural  domestic science in   
nine ,provinces1 including ,buenos      
,aires4 ,courses  are offered in minor  
industries1 such as dairying1           
beekeeping1 care of  fowls1 hog raising1
 agriculture1 horticulture1 and canning 
of fruits  and vegetables4 ,five hundred
 women have been enrolled4 ,a number of 
these schools1 the largest at ,tucuman1 
have been put on a permanent  basis1 and
 private associations are working to    
effect this in many  places4    ,school 
celebrations of national festivals1 long
 popular in ,argentina1  have been      
especially marked during the year #aiah1
 the centennial year  for the nation4   

,they were held in all schools on ,july 
#h1 the chief  feature being the oath to
 the flag and the singing of the        
national hymn  in the presence of the   
school and civic authorities4           
,,changes ,,under ,,the ,,projected     
,,law ,,of #aiah4    ,following the     
former order of education in ,argentina1
 the second stage  of primary education 
began with the educational bill         
submitted with  the approval of the     
,president to the ,federal ,congress in 
,august1 #aiah4  ,in this were          
incorporated changes of far wider scope 
than any ever  before projected4 ,not   
only primary education1 but the entire  
fabric  of ,argentine education was to  
be nationalized in content of courses1  
in methods of instruction1 and in       
special preparation of teachers for     
tasks devolving on them under the new   
rgime4 ,the bill provided for  large    
development of industrial and vocational
 courses and called for  the use of     
materials peculiarly national and local4

 ,it laid stress upon  civic and        
patriotic training1 in view of the      
heterogeneous constitution  of the      
,argentine population through steady    
streams of immigration  and the         
necessity of molding these diverse      
elements into a body of  patriotic and  
intelligent citizens4 ,it provided for  
the establishment  of primary schools   
throughout the nation under more        
flexible financial  and administrative  
regulations than the old1 for the       
segregation of  specific revenues for   
the exclusive use of the ,ministry of   
,public  ,instruction1 and the          
consequent abolition of the old system  
of national  subsidies to individual    
localities4 ,especially in the fight    
against  illiteracy did the projected   
law embody progressive features4 ,the   
,national ,council of ,education was    
empowered to establish standard  primary
 schools wherever there were as many as 
#bj illiterate children  of school age4 
,in the message which accompanied the   

recommendation of  the law the          
,president pointed out that the         
projected law tended to give  unity and 
stability to the several divisions of   
education under the  direction of the   
department of national instruction and  
adapted them to  the material progress  
of the nation and to latter-day         
civilization4  ,his identification of   
popular education with national progress
  justifies a quotation at length3      
,as primary education was established by
 law in #ahfd1 it contains   regulations
 which in reality have lost their       
original justification2   for ,argentine
 civilization now demands urgent reforms
 in the matter of   general instruction 
in order to give greater consistency and
 reason   to the latter1 and in order to
 make it more practical1 more adaptable 
to the various regional needs of the    
,republic4 ,it is especially   urgent to
 carry its action to all the sections of
 the country not yet   reached by the   
system in order to arrive at the real   

aims of a truly   national education4   
,chief among these is to eradicate      
illiteracy1   the most patriotic task in
 which we can engage and the one upon   
whose successful execution alone can any
 real national progress and             
enlightenment rest4     ,the            
institutions of higher education have   
continued to develop in the   direction 
of autonomy and within the limit        
determined by the law of   #ahhe2 but   
with the primary1 they demand           
modifications in the course   and       
arrangement of studies in order to      
abolish antiquated practices   and      
methods and to reach the level of the   
great modern universities of   the      
world4     ,secondary instruction1 in   
its turn1 has lacked and still lacks a  
law to fix it in definite form and to   
define its real character   in          
accordance with constitutional precepts 
and the nature of our   political       
institutions4 ,it has existed subject to
 the continual   change of plans and    

regulations1 harassed by the application
 of   widely varying educational        
conceptions1 in a state of continuous   
instability1 and therefore reduced to a 
mere administrative mechanism   without 
power of initiative relative to its     
immediate needs and   without sufficient
 social influence to realize its true   
aims4 ,to   remedy these evils and to   
fill these gaps is one of the purposes  
of   this law1 in which the attempt has 
been made to include only that   which  
ought to be general and permanent4 ,the 
primary aim of secondary   education    
should be to spread education among the 
towns and cities in   such a way that in
 all the country there shall be trained1
 educated   citizens fitted to play     
their part in the future civilization of
 the   country4 ,preparatory instruction
 has therefore been kept under the      
control of the universities1 which will 
fix their courses of study1   their     
duration1 and their extension both      
general and special4 ,both the   plans  

of the preparatory courses1 as well as  
those of the professions   taught in the
 faculties of the university1 have been 
projected along   the lines already     
mentioned4 ,the programs of the normal  
schools have   been formulated in       
accordance with the technical ideas     
which should   distinguish them1        
separating the general studies from     
those properly   called pedagogical or  
professional1 arranging them so that the
 former   shall precede and the latter  
be intensified toward the end of the    
course4     ,as regards practical       
subjects of instruction1 the project    
outlines   only the general features    
according to which they must be taught4 
,instruction will be imparted in        
accordance with the necessities of   the
 immediate field of each school1 with   
special regard to natural   production1 
commerce1 industries1 and aptitudes of  
the population1 all   with the purpose  
of adjusting anew the activities of the 
,argentine   youth1 which has hitherto  

been by preference inclined toward the  
more   speculative studies rather than  
those of practical and of immediate     
application4 ,it is left to the         
authorities of technical education   to 
prepare plans and courses of study      
adapted to each class of   institutions4
     ,enrollment in all schools has been
 made absolutely free1 a logical        
consequence of compulsory education1    
which has as yet never been   effective1
 but which is an indispensible condition
 to placing all upon   the same plane of
 equality1 a thing inherent in the      
principles of   republican institutions4
     ,the ,government considers that the
 power wielded by the nation to   spread
 primary education in the ,provinces is 
so ample1 in the form   established by  
this projected law1 that the regulations
 in force   concerning financial        
subventions are without reason or       
justification4   ,once the ,provinces   
have complied with the duty imposed upon
 them by   the constitution in this     

regard up to the limit of their capacity
 the   accompanying responsibility of   
the ,federal ,government will disappear4
     ,the executive1 knowing the great  
value of the teaching profession   in   
the general concert of human activities1
 seeks every means   to establish and   
dignify the career of teacher1 making it
 a   real profession surrounded by all  
the honors and all the public           
considerations which it can legitimately
 claim4 ,it is therefore sought   in the
 reform to fix proper conditions for    
different categories   of teachers1 as  
well as a scale of salaries1 and        
proportional and   periodic increase1   
thus guaranteeing the stability of the  
profession   and assuring it an         
honorable and tranquil retirement4 ,with
 such aims   in view for the retirement 
of secondary teachers1 the executive has
   believed it equitable to establish   
similar lines of financial aid for      
pensions and for increase of salaries as
 those offered to the teachers   of     

primary education4      ,,secondary     
,,education4    ,reference has been made
 to the establishment of intermediate   
schools1  at first uniform1 later       
differentiated1 substituted for the     
former  fifth and sixth years of the    
primary school and intended to bridge   
the chasm between the primary and the   
secondary schools4 ,this marked  a      
further innovation1 in that secondary   
education had always been  left in      
,argentina to the ,provinces1 the ,state
 nationally exercising  only a nominal  
oversight of this division4 ,for        
financial reasons1 as  well as because  
of the necessity of giving uniformity to
 a type so  widely scattered1 the       
intermediate school was from the very   
first  regarded as national in scope4   
,it may be likened in many respects to  
the junior high school of ,american     
cities4 ,it was designed to give        
instruction of a general and cultural   
nature in languages1 history1           
geography1 and mathematics1 combined    

with experimental studies in the        
elements of physical and natural        
science4 ,much earlier entrance1 its    
advocates claimed1 would thus be        
possible upon subjects of vocational    
and technical character1 which should   
test the nascent abilities and          
aptitudes of the pupil4 ,especial       
attention was to be given woodworking1  
typewriting1 stenography1 linotyping1   
decorative design1 photography1  and    
special arts and crafts favored by local
 conditions4    ,this experiment1 though
 marking an advance in educational      
methods1  was unsuccessful1 and after a 
year of existence such schools were     
discontinued4 ,they did1 however1 affect
 instruction in secondary  education1   
leaving their impress in the radical    
requirement of early  specialization    
after the fifth and sixth higher primary
 grades4    ,the educational policy of  
,argentina thus returned to its         
traditional  status2 and secondary      
education still centers around the #cg  

colegios nacionales1 institutions for   
boys of #aj to #ad years of  age1 which 
admit those with leaving certificates   
from the fifth  and sixth grades of the 
higher primary schools1 and by revisal  
of #aiaa offer courses arranged by      
fourfold division of subjects  into the 
physical-mathematical1 the              
chemical-biological1 the                
historical-geographical1 and the        
literary-philosophical groups4  ,a      
decree of the ,national ,council dated  
,february1 #aiaf1 made the  certificate 
of sixth grade of the public school     
obligatory for  admission to the        
colegio4 ,this was regarded as going far
 toward  settling two fundamental       
difficulties--the first1 the long       
desired  abolition of the entrance      
examination1 as discredited by          
experience  and prejudicial to secondary
 training1 and the second1 the official 
recognition of the compulsory attendance
 law for children of #f to #ad  years4  
,among the new subjects assigned for the

 colegios is the study of  ,italian1 now
 restored after being abolished by      
previous decree4 ,in  accordance with   
this requirement1 a course in this      
language has been  instituted in the    
normal schools for the preparation of   
teachers4    ,the close connection of   
the interests of the colegio nacionale  
with the  university is brought out in  
the report of the rector of the         
,national  ,university of ,buenos ,aires
 for #aiaf4 ,it is of significance as   
striking  out new lines in what had     
always been a conservative division1 and
  carried weight in the fluid state of  
public opinion on education which       
prevailed just at that time4    ,taking 
up the instructional aspect of secondary
 education1 and the  claims put forward 
by zealous partisans of the opposing    
views that the  colegios should prepare 
either for higher studies or for        
practical  life1 but not for both1 he   
urged legal provisions for both forms of
  training to supply the demand felt in 

all modern states for men of  thought as
 well as efficiency in action4 ,in the  
light of this demand  all wrangling as  
to programs of study could only be to   
the damage  of the ,state4 ,since the   
,argentine colegios half a century ago  
were  modeled after the ,french lyces1  
with their emphasis upon the cultural   
studies1 the world had moved far1       
economically and socially1 and sane     
modifications in secondary education now
 clamored for recognition4    ,on the   
side of administration the peculiar     
question for ,argentina1  the land of   
great distances and many climates and   
productions1 was  whether the best      
organization for secondary instruction  
was the  concentration of power in the  
hands of a council or of the minister of
  public instruction1 or more or less   
complete autonomy to be granted  to the 
individual institution4 ,in either case 
the fixed principle was  to be accepted 
that the universities were directly     
concerned in the  discipline and studies

 of the students they were to receive1  
and that  they should therefore have the
 right of intervening in matters of     
organization and studies of the         
colegios4    ,a just decentralization of
 the colegios could be easily realized  
and  would bring such beneficial results
 as3 7#a7 ,more direct and immediate    
action of the authorities2 7#b7 closer  
articulation of the colegios  with the  
universities in the matter of studies   
for preparation for the  latter2 7#c7   
formation of intellectual groups that   
would be encouraged  to take root       
permanently in the ,provinces1 thus     
avoiding the wholesale  migration of the
 directing classes to the capital2 7#d7 
ease of reform1  as contrasted with the 
present system1 wherein every change in 
the  program of studies was a           
disturbance whose utility was not always
  certain2 7#e7 the best selection1 so  
far as possible1 of the personal        
directive staff of the colegios1 as the 
men in higher education would  be       

familiar with the problems of secondary 
instruction2 7#f7 economy of            
administrative expense2 7#g7 the        
possibility of transforming certain  of 
the colegios into schools of arts1      
trades1 and industries in which  general
 instruction1 continuing the primary1   
might be combined with  the special and 
technical preparation so much needed for
 the material  well-being of the several
 regions of the ,republic4    ,in the   
projected law of public instruction1    
introduced in ,august1 #aiah1  it is    
provided that all matters relating to   
secondary education shall  be under the 
authority of the national universities1 
with full power to  regulate content of 
courses1 curricula1 etc4 ,this is       
manifestly a step  suggested by the     
traditional system of ,spain1 in which  
the standard  secondary schools         
7institutos7 are arranged according to  
university  districts and are governed  
by university rector and council4 ,its  
wisdom  and advisability for a country  

of the ,western ,hemisphere have been   
variously considered4      ,,technical  
,,education4    ,by the projected law of
 ,august1 #aiah1 a ,national ,board of  
,technical  ,education is to be         
established to ascertain the progress of
 this branch  of education in other     
countries1 to adapt whatever may be     
possible to  the conditions and needs of
 ,argentina1 to foster technical        
instruction  in the national schools1   
and to keep in touch with its progress  
throughout the world4                   
,,normal-,,school ,,training4    ,the   
sequence of studies prescribed for      
pupils of the normal school  according  
to the decree of ,march1 #aiaf1 is also 
worthy of notice4  ,immediately         
following1 and based upon the           
intermediate schools which1  as         
described above1 were discarded after   
trial1 the normal school  required four 
years for the teachers' diploma1 after  
which the student  might proceed to     
higher studies for the degree of teacher

 of modern  languages in two years or   
that of teacher of languages in normal  
school  in three years1 or that of      
teacher of philosophy in any institution
  in six years4 ,a commendable gain of  
one year in each of these was  effected1
 and this feature is to be embodied in  
the new provisions now  under           
consideration4 ,in addition1 the new    
project of educational law  outlines a  
teacher's course of four years1 clearly 
differentiating  between the general or 
cultural and the pedagogical or         
professional  courses4 ,the former are  
assigned to the first three years as    
required2  the latter are reserved for  
the last year1 constituting an intensive
  curriculum of pedagogical history and 
methods and practice teaching  in the   
required annexed practice school4 ,the  
completion 7#aiah7 of the  ,normal      
,school ,sarmiento in ,buenos ,aires1   
named in honor of the founder  of       
popular education in ,south ,america1 is
 to be noted4 ,this school1  capable of 

accommodating #a1jjj pupils and equipped
 with the most modern  apparatus1 is    
worthy of comparison with the finest    
schools in the other  countries         
educationally most advanced4            
,,higher ,,education4    ,with the      
provision incorporated in the projected 
law1 by which control  of national      
secondary education is vested in the    
universities1 the  latter will touch    
national education much more intimately 
than ever  before4 ,the universities of 
,argentina are those of ,buenos ,aires1 
,cordoba1 and ,la ,plata1 which are     
national1 and those of ,santa ,fe  and  
,tucuman1 which are provincial but will 
soon be nationalized4 ,in  #aiag there  
was a growing feeling in university     
circles in favor of  decentralization1  
with greater degree of autonomy for each
 university4  ,the report of the rector 
of the university of ,buenos ,aires for 
#aiag was  of interest as showing the   
effect of this upon the colegios as well
  as the universities4 ,how far this has

 been checked by the projected          
provision to intrust secondary education
 to universities can not be  learned4   
,the unrest among the student bodies in 
the institutions of higher  education   
has constituted perhaps the most        
remarkable feature of the  educational  
history of the past year4 ,in ,buenos   
,aires reform was  demanded in the      
statutes under which the university was 
governed1 and  the adoption of methods  
in conformity with new tendencies in    
university  instruction4 ,the students  
demanded especially the right to vote   
for  the election of the authorities4   
,satisfactory agreement was reached1    
and the university1 after several days  
of suspension of classes and            
demonstrations on the part of the       
student body1 resumed instruction1      
which was uninterrupted for the rest of 
the year4 ,at the ,university of        
,cordoba the conflict between the       
students and the authorities assumed    
more serious proportions4 ,regular work 

was suspended1 the efforts  of the      
mediator appointed by the ,national     
,government to hear the  claims of the  
student body and to decide upon the just
 and practical  course for the          
university authorities to adopt were    
unsatisfactory  to the complainants1 and
 the authority of the minister of public
  instruction was invoked4 ,upon        
investigation the latter official       
advocated in his report to the executive
 a complete reorganization of  the      
university in its statutes1 regulations1
 acts of discipline1 and  staff of      
professors4 ,these changes were ratified
 by the executive and  were practically 
embodied in the project of the law      
submitted to the  ,congress in those    
sections pertaining to university       
education4 ,in the  other three         
universities1 those of ,la ,plata1      
,tucuman1 and ,santa ,fe1 the           
disturbances which impeded the          
prosecution of the regular routine of   
studies were comparatively              

insignificant1 though the spirit of     
unrest  was marked and many of the      
reforms and changes secured in the two  
leading universities were readily       
accepted4    ,the growth of the         
so-called student centers 7centros      
estudiantiles7  has been a feature of   
higher education during the past two    
years4 ,these  organizations have come  
to be representative of student life and
 of the  student point of view1 and have
 therefore gained much importance in the
  eyes of the authorities4 ,they are    
organized according to departments  of  
studies1 such as the centers of medical 
and dental students1 of  engineering    
students1 of political science students1
 of students of  architecture1 and of   
law4 ,each numbers from #ajj to #ejj    
members4 ,they  are grouped as a whole  
into the ,university ,federation of     
,buenos ,aires1  in which each is       
represented by delegates1 and which is  
regarded as the  mouthpiece of all      
university students in the metropolis4  

,plans are already under way by the     
executive council of the ,university  of
 ,buenos ,aires for the celebration of  
the first centenary of its  foundation1 
which will occur in ,october1 #aiba4    
,invitations have been  extended to the 
institutions of higher education in all 
countries of  the world to designate and
 send representatives4 ,though the      
actual  building of the ancient colegio 
nacional1 in which the university began 
its operation1 has been materially      
changed1 yet the present building       
occupies the same site1 and it has been 
decided to hold the centennial          
celebration in it4    ,of interest is   
the projected foundation of a popular   
university at  ,buenos ,aires1          
constituted along industrial lines and  
frankly designed  to counteract the     
technical and industrial influence of   
,north ,american  universities in ,south
 ,american countries4    ,a survey of   
educational progress in ,argentina may  
fittingly conclude  with mention of the 

annual ,american ,congress of ,education
 and  ,commercial ,extension1 held in   
,montevideo in ,january1 #aiai1 in which
  representatives of all the            
,latin-,american countries participated1
 and  those of ,argentina1 from her     
economic and educational leadership1    
were  most prominent4 ,the proceedings  
of the congress will be discussed in    
the chapter on ,uruguay4                
,,vocational ,,education ,,in ,,brazil4 
,educational activity in ,brazil has    
been most marked in the field of        
vocational education4 ,a special        
commission1 appointed by the ,director  
,general of ,public ,instruction1       
consisting of five experienced teachers 
in subjects of this nature1 was         
instructed to formulate courses for  the
 ,state schools which were to be        
established by law in the ,federal      
,district4 ,they were to serve as models
 for subsequent schools of the  same    
character in the several ,states and    
,territories4 ,the commission1  of which

 ,senhor ,coryntho da ,fonseca was the  
spokesman1 after several  months of     
conference and personal visits of       
inspection to the  vocational schools   
already existent in the several centers1
 especially  in ,sao ,paulo1 and after  
hearing reports from active teachers in 
the  subjects1 presented its report in  
,march1 #aiai4 ,it was approved by  the 
,vice ,president1 serving ad interim for
 the ,president1 and was  recommended by
 him to be put into actual operation    
pending its formal  enactment into law  
by the ,congress4    ,the report as     
finally presented rested upon four main 
considerations3    #a4 ,the ,state1 in  
the field of instruction1 has primarily 
an educational  function and only       
secondarily a vocational one4 ,courses  
in shop  training1 designed to awake and
 develop an aptitude in the pupil for a 
particular industry1 must of course     
enter into any well-rounded scheme  of  
education4 ,this in turn must be        
designed to promote a general and  not a

 specialized technical education which  
will introduce both sexes  to industrial
 and commercial life4 ,for practical    
reasons of expense1 if  for no other1   
the ,state should not be expected to    
prepare pupils for  specialized         
vocations4    #b4 ,the task of the      
commission being to deal with the       
branches of  vocational training best   
adapted to give the pupil a broad       
outlook upon  general industrial        
activities1 the commission judged it    
best to confine  its recommendations to 
manual work of construction in wood1    
metal1  and plastic material4 ,in       
methods as well as content of           
instruction it  is emphasized that such 
work must proceed along the lines of    
teaching  by example4 ,in such teaching 
much that is old and fundamental must be
  stressed by way of throwing light upon
 the elements of the training  that are 
common to all branches of manual arts4  
#c4 ,in its decision to urge a general  
attitude toward industrial  training    

rather than specialized methods peculiar
 to one branch1 the  commission was     
confirmed by the testimony of all except
 one of the  directors of the vocational
 institutions in ,brazil4 ,only one     
advocated  specialized instruction4     
,written representations of the         
faculties of  the vocational schools    
,alvaro ,baptista1 and ,souza ,aguiar1  
in ,rio1  further confirmed this view4  
#d4 ,the results of vocational          
instruction in ,brazil as actually      
observed  within the last few years     
convinced the commission--    7a7 ,that 
unspecialized training best provided the
 foundations for  good citizenship as   
well as industrial training4    7b7     
,that by this training the latent       
technical aptitudes of the  student were
 more effectively revealed and          
developed1 as shown by  steady increase 
in salaries of the graduates1 than was  
the case with  the apprentices who had  
been trained exclusively in one line4   
7c7 ,that the superior adaptation of the

 graduates of the general  vocational   
school had been shown by tables giving  
information as to  their progress in    
skill and value to their employers4     
,these tables were  naturally           
incomplete1 but their general drift was 
undeniable4    7d7 ,that the chief cause
 of the poor attendance upon the        
vocational  instruction for boys is the 
prevalent idea that the vocational      
school  is an index of lower social     
standing1 enrolling only those boys that
  can not obtain any other means of     
education4 ,thus the vocational  school 
is sharply differentiated socially from 
other types of schools4  ,it suffers    
from being regarded as preeminently the 
school to train  workmen4 ,the          
commission had in mind the purpose of   
preparing public  sentiment for the     
passing of this traditional prejudice   
when it  attempted to inspire a just    
estimate of manual work in the public   
mind  and to organize such courses as   
would adequately carry out this idea4   

7e7 ,that the vocational school must be 
established as a direct  continuation of
 the primary school1 ministering to the 
innate tendency  in the child to realize
 things with his own hands2 that thus   
the  traditional and depressing         
prejudice mentioned would be            
counteracted1  as time would not be     
given for it to intervene in the child's
 mind4 ,the  workshop1 thus articulated 
with general training1 would come to be 
the  fulfillment of an aspiration1      
inculcating as well the love of work and
  respect for it4    7f7 ,that the      
success of the projected schools depends
 largely upon  the cooperation of the   
industrial firms of ,brazil1 which      
should be  appealed to for their        
sympathy and for the encouragement of   
their  adolescent employees to attend   
these schools2 that the granting of     
daylight hours to employees to attend   
such schools1 as has been done in       
,england and ,france1 with the          
consequent improvement in the physical  

and mental condition of the pupils1 is a
 step to be commended to all  employers 
as patriotic citizens4    ,the salient  
provisions of the report of the         
commission are as follows3     ,,article
 #a4 ,the technical and vocational      
instruction maintained by   the         
prefecture of the ,federal ,district has
 for its aim to complete   the primary  
elementary instruction by means of a    
general technical   education leading   
the youth of both sexes preferably to   
industrial and   commercial activities4 
,,art4 #b4 ,technical and vocational    
instruction shall be given in the       
following types of schools3     7a7     
,primary vocational schools4     7b7    
,secondary vocational institutes4       
7c7 ,secondary agricultural schools4    
7d7 ,vocational finishing courses4      
7e7 ,normal school of arts and crafts4  
,types 7a71 7d71 and 7e7 shall be day   
schools exclusively2 types   7b7 and 7c7
 shall offer boarding accommodations for
 pupils from   distance4     ,,art4 #c4 

,in schools of types 7a7 and 7d7        
instruction shall be   imparted         
predominantly in the recitation rooms4  
,,art4 #d4 ,the courses of the primary  
vocational school for boys shall        
include the following subjects3     7a7 
,the usual subjects of the complementary
 course of the primary   schools1 with  
fuller development of the studies of    
physics1 chemistry1   natural history1  
hygiene1 and mathematics4     7b7       
,modeling and free-hand and mechanical  
drawing4     ,,art4 #e4 ,the courses of 
the primary vocational school for girls 
shall   include3     7a7 ,the usual     
subjects of the complementary course of 
the primary   schools1 with fuller      
development of the studies of hygiene   
and   domestic economy4     7b7         
,modeling and free-hand drawing4        
,,art4 #f4 ,the subjects of the         
vocational finishing courses shall      
include3     7a7 ,in the commercial     
course1 ,portuguese and civic           
instruction1   commercial geography1    

,french and one other modern language1  
,english   or ,german1 to be chosen by  
the pupil1 commercial correspondence and
   accounting1 typewriting1 stenography1
 and arithmetic4     7b7 ,in the        
industrial course1 ,portuguese and civic
 instruction1   arithmetic1 and         
geography1 elements of applied physics1 
chemistry1   and natural history1       
accounting as related to the particular 
vocation   selected by the pupil1       
free-hand and mechanical drawing4       
,,art4 #g4 ,the vocational finishing    
courses are designed primarily for      
young men already employed in industry  
and commerce1 who seek to   improve     
their vocational knowledge4     ,,art4  
#h4 ,the two types of vocational        
finishing schools may be taught         
conjointly in the same building4        
,,art4 #i4 ,teachers and assistants     
imparting instruction shall be          
appointed as follows3     7a7 ,there    
shall be a teacher and so many          
assistants for each branch   as shall be

 made necessary by the attendance4      
7b7 ,for the instruction in technical   
accounting related to each   vocation   
there shall be employed special teachers
 only where #ae or   more students are  
enrolled for each course1 and they shall
 receive   salaries only when actually  
teaching4 ,the same teachers shall be in
   charge of the various related        
branches of technical instruction in the
   shops4     ,,art4 #aj4 ,the courses  
in the secondary vocational institutes  
for boys   shall include--     7a7 ,the 
elementary and middle instruction for   
pupils who have not   had them4     7b7 
,physical exercises and military drill4 
7c7 ,vocal and instrumental music4      
,,art4 #aa4 ,the courses in the         
vocational institutes for girls shall   
include--     7a7 ,primary instruction  
for such pupils as have not had it4     
7b7 ,vocational drawing and modeling4   
,in the vocational institutes the       
elementary primary instruction shall    
be followed by an intensive course in   

manual arts1 such as sloyd1 wood        
carving1 and weaving in straw1 vine1 and
 bamboo4     ,,art4 #ab4 ,the primary   
vocational schools shall also offer a   
commercial   course consisting of the   
following subjects3     7a7 ,commercial 
correspondence and accounting4     7b7  
,typewriting and stenography4     7c7   
,french and one other modern language1  
,english or ,german4     ,,art4 #ac4    
,instruction in the workshops of        
vocational schools for boys   shall be  
given first in a general compulsory     
course of three years1   during which   
the pupil shall in turn be trained in   
the workshops   in cold and molten      
metals1 including foundry work and      
wrought-iron   work4 ,the pupil shall   
then be allowed to specialize in any    
workshop   or section at his choice4    
,the pupils of the vocational institutes
   for boys shall likewise take a       
compulsory course in horticulture and   
kindred subjects4     ,,art4 #ad4 ,the  
agricultural schools and the vocational 

institutes shall   require attendance on
 the courses of civil training and      
agronomy1 with   optional specialization
 in any line selected when the general  
course   is completed4     ,,art4 #ae4  
,in the vocational schools and          
institutes for girls there   shall be a 
compulsory general course upon the      
following practical   subjects3         
,cooking1 laundering1 ironing and       
starching1 housekeeping1   sewing and   
dressmaking4 ,along with this general   
course the pupils   shall attend certain
 vocational courses chosen by themselves
 from   sewing1 lace making1 and        
embroidery1 artificial-flower work1 etc4
     ,,art4 #af4 ,for admission to the  
schools of vocational instruction the   
following shall be the legal            
requirements as to age3     7a7 ,for    
vocational and agricultural schools1    
minimum age #ac1 maximum   #ba4     7b7 
,for the vocational institutes for boys1
 minimum age #aj1 maximum   #ac4     7c7
 ,for the vocational institutes for     

girls1 minimum age #g1 maximum   #ac4   
7d7 ,for the normal school of arts and  
trades1 minimum age #ad1   maximum #be4 
7e7 ,for the vocational finishing       
courses1 minimum age #ac4     ,,art4    
#ag4 ,for matriculation in the          
vocational and agricultural   schools   
and the finishing courses the candidates
 shall submit to an   examination upon  
the subjects taught in the middle course
 of the   primary school4 ,in the       
commercial courses of the finishing     
schools1   in the girls' schools1 and in
 the normal school of arts and trades1  
the entrance examination shall be upon  
the subjects of the final   examination 
of the primary schools4     ,,art4 #ah4 
,the school year in the entire system of
 vocational   instruction1 with the     
exception of agricultural schools1 shall
 begin   ,march #a and close ,november  
#cj4 ,the period from ,december #a to   
,december   #bd shall be devoted to     
examinations and to school exhibitions4 
,in the   agricultural schools1 because 

of their nature1 the pupils shall have  
#fj days of annual vacation granted to  
them in groups by the director   in     
accordance with the demands of the      
agricultural seasons and labors4        
,,art4 #ai4 ,the courses of the primary 
vocational schools1 of the   institutes1
 and of the finishing courses shall be  
divided into periods   of #d to #e      
years2 the finishing courses into       
periods of three years2   and the       
commercial course of the schools for    
girls into a period of   two years4     
,,art4 #bd4 ,the officials of inspection
 of technical and vocational            
instruction shall draw up annual        
statistics of attendance and of the     
results of the vocational instruction   
upon the bases of data furnished   by   
the directors of the several schools    
and1 so far as possible1   by employers 
and by the former pupils who have       
themselves left the   schools4 ,these   
statistics shall relate to the following
 topics3     7a7 ,number of pupils      

placed1 with indication of the          
establishments   where they are         
employed4     7b7 ,initial salary       
obtained by them as related to the      
period of   schooling4     7c7          
,technical aptitude revealed by former  
pupils and their capacity   of          
adaptation to the various industrial    
works4     7d7 ,progress of increase in 
salary of former pupils4     7e7 ,all   
available information as to individual  
former pupils with   regard to the      
advantages or disadvantages of their    
schooling in the   decision of economic 
life1 and their success in it4          
,,art4 #be4 ,all posts of assistants and
 substitutes in the vocational   system 
shall be filled by competitive          
examinations4     7a7 ,for the assistant
 in drawing in the vocational schools in
   institutes for boys1 the examination 
shall be tests in drawing1 in   artistic
 training1 and in pedagogical fitness4  
7b7 ,for the filling of the same post in
 the vocational schools and   institutes

 for girls the examination shall be     
tests in writing at   dictation1 in     
decorative composition1 in embroidery   
and lacework1 and   in pedagogical      
fitness4     7c7 ,the competitive test  
for filling the post of substitutes in  
shopwork shall be upon vocational design
 of an assigned theme for   shopwork and
 the execution of the same4     ,,art4  
#bf4 ,the teachers in vocational        
instruction shall be named by   means of
 promotion of the assistants and        
substitutes4     ,,art4 #bg4 ,there     
shall be a substitute for every group of
 #bj pupils in   shopwork1 and an       
assistant for every class of #cj pupils4
     ,,art4 #bh4 ,when any primary      
school is transformed into a vocational 
school there shall be annexed the       
elementary primary course in which      
shall be taught intensively the manual  
arts prescribed for the   elementary    
instruction of the institutes1 but the  
pupils shall attend   the shopwork of   
the vocational courses only when they   

have completed   the work of the middle 
course and attained the age of #ac      
years4          ,,education ,,in        
,,chile4      ,,preliminary4    ,the    
last two years have seen in ,chile a    
distinct gathering up of the  threads of
 educational purpose4 ,the feeling of   
dissatisfaction with the  primary school
 system1 for many years inarticulate1   
has found a voice1  and all signs point 
to ,chile's finally securing a          
modernized system  of public            
instruction4 ,the head and front of the 
indictment drawn by  national students  
of education has been the complete      
,germanization of  the system through   
the employment of a considerable number 
of ,german  educational experts during  
the decade from #aijd to #aiad4 ,the    
climax  came in the revelations of the  
propagandist activities of the ,german  
educators brought out at the meeting of 
the ,national ,educational  ,association
 in #aiag4    ,financial support of     
public instruction in ,chile has never  

been  stinted1 so far as its existent   
state was concerned4 ,as merely one item
  may be adduced the fact that in       
,march1 #aiaf1 the ,congress authorized 
the ,president to devote to public      
instruction for specific aims such as   
the building and remodeling of          
schoolhouses1 #d1jjj1jjj annually for   
#aj  years1 through the medium of the   
,central ,council of ,education1 in     
which  was vested the discretion as to  
methods and objects of the expenditure4 
,in #aiah the budget was voted by the   
,congress of #ce1dej1jjj for public     
instruction1 as against that of         
#cb1cgc1djd for #aiag4 ,so that the     
authorities of the ,government must     
justly be credited with a practical     
interest in education which encourages  
teachers and other active  workers in   
their efforts toward greater efficiency4
    ,in #aiag there had been increased  
discussion of matters educational2  and 
in ,june of that year ,president        
,sanfuentes in his message showed  that 

the time had come to impress on the     
national system of public  instruction a
 more practical stamp1 making it        
adequate to the needs of  everyday life 
and the special conditions of the       
country4 ,along with  this he urged the 
specialization of secondary education   
as1 just then1  the urgent and opportune
 point of attack for the development of 
,chile's  scientific and industrial     
possibilities4    ,this message was     
followed by action of the ,congress     
which clearly  showed the traditional   
line of cleavage long prevailing in     
,chile's  social and political system4  
,the demand for some form of modernized 
public instruction could no longer be   
repressed2 and a conservative  deputy   
introduced the project of a law to      
insert in the constitution  a provision 
for compulsory primary schooling and    
compulsory religious  instruction1 the  
only modification of the latter being   
the concession  to the parent to choose 
the forms and means of such instruction4

 ,the  radical party was not slow in    
countering with a project adopting the  
feature of compulsory attendance but    
decentralizing and completely           
secularizing the existing system4 ,the  
latter proposal1 now made for  the first
 time in the history of ,chilean        
legislation1 was especially  bold1 as   
,chile has never done away with the     
essentially religious tone  of her      
education4 ,she retains representatives 
of the ,state church on  her ,national  
,council of ,education1 freely          
recognizes parochial primary  schools1  
and has her secondary schools largely   
managed by religious  instructors and   
under distinctively religious auspices4 
,the compromise bill formulated by a    
specially appointed commission  of the  
,congress sought to satisfy both        
extremes4 ,it vested supreme            
administrative authority in educational 
matters in a council of #ah1  sitting in
 ,santiago1 presided over by the        
,minister of ,justice and  ,instruction2

 but it allowed #aa of the members to be
 named by the  ,senate1 the ,chamber of 
,deputies1 and the ,president of the    
,republic4  ,this feature was severely  
criticized by the liberals and by the   
,national ,educational ,association as  
still keeping educational authority  in 
the hands of politicians1 not intrusting
 it to men really interested  in        
education1 and making it possible to    
block all educational progress  whenever
 desired4    ,the bill made four years' 
attendance in primary schools1 private  
or  public1 compulsory for all children 
between #g and #ac1 and required all    
reaching the latter age without         
completing the prescribed course to     
continue until #ae4 ,poverty could not  
be pleaded in excuse1 as grants  by the 
,state were specified and graduated in  
amounts according to  need4 ,exemption  
from religious instruction was allowed  
upon written  application of the parent 
or upon certification of the local      
junta1  another feature opposed by the  

,national ,educational ,association on  
the  ground that the junta's powers     
could never be so amplified legally4    
,programs of study and schedules should 
be under the authority of the  inspector
 general of primary instruction4        
,primary instruction was to  be imparted
 to complete illiterates in schools     
called supplementary1  managed          
independently of existing primary       
schools1 and to partial  illiterates in 
schools called complementary1 conducted 
in conjunction  with existent primary   
schools4    ,the bill1 as outlined      
above1 encountered opposition from many 
sources1  and still remains unenacted4  
,pending its passage1 the ,minister of  
,public ,instruction1 by virtue of the  
power vested in him1 issued  in #aiah a 
decree organizing primary education in  
three grades of  two years each1        
continued by one grade of vocational    
education of  from one to three years4  
,attendance is not specifically         
compulsory1  though the local junta has 

power so to declare it in the schools of
  its jurisdiction4 ,the requirements as
 to qualifications of a primary  teacher
 are made more rigorous2 he must be a   
citizen of ,chile1 of  good character1  
not less than #ah nor more than #dj     
years of age at the  time of            
appointment1 and a graduate of a        
,government normal school1 or  holding a
 degree of a ,chilean or recognized     
foreign institution4      ,,illiteracy4 
,the problem of illiteracy in ,chile is 
a serious one1 the estimated  figures   
for #aiag showing #iei1jfa illiterates  
out of a total  population of           
#c1bdi1bgi4 ,since the year #aijj the   
struggle against it  has grown in vigor4
 ,the ,national ,educational            
,association has shown  especial        
efficiency1 and has worked through      
committees having the  following phases 
in charge3 ,compulsory school           
attendance1 the legal  requirements1    
condition of the schools and the        
teaching force1 school  revenues1 school

 buildings and sanitation1 and special  
education4    ,this steady pressure     
prepared public sentiment for the       
leadership  of the most influential     
agency ever invoked in the fight against
  illiteracy1 viz4 the conferences      
organized by the powerful newspaper ,el 
,mercurio4 ,under its auspices these    
conferences were held in a #c-;days'    
series in ,july1 #aiag1 and were        
attended and participated in by men and 
women identified with every phase of    
national education4 ,the following      
topics were the salient ones of those   
discussed3     #a4 ,comparative study of
 illiteracy statistics in various       
countries4     #b4 ,means of combating  
illiteracy in leading nations4     #c4  
,practicable means of action in ,chile4 
#d4 ,means of contribution1 and         
proportion in which the ,state1 the     
municipal authorities1 and the          
,provinces may contribute to the budget 
necessary4     #e4 ,cooperation of      
private initiative4     #f4 ,means of   

making school attendance compulsory4    
#g4 ,regulation of child labor4     #h4 
,reforms necessary in actual plans of   
study and in classification of          
schools4     #i4 ,necessity and         
practical means of giving the schools a 
more   ,nationalistic character4        
#aj4 ,minimum of knowledge to be        
required by compulsory attendance law4  
#aa4 ,place of night schools1 ,sunday   
schools1 and traveling schools1 in   the
 struggle against illiteracy4    ,while 
no action of a legal character resulted 
from these conferences1  yet the impetus
 given to the cause was powerful1 and   
had weight in  bringing about the decree
 and the projected law already outlined4
 ,such  a move1 combining at once social
 and economic as well as educational    
characteristics1 seeking to bring public
 opinion to bear on the  solution of a  
problem underlying the life of a nation1
 and launched by  a newspaper1 is unique
 in the history of education4    ,the   
,territory of ,magellanes has shown     

itself remarkably efficient in  handling
 the problem of illiteracy4 ,it is the  
southernmost area of the  country1 and  
little favored by nature1 being a long  
strip of barren  and rocky coast1 with a
 climate singularly bleak and           
uninviting4 ,its  industries are based  
exclusively upon its mineral resources2 
and its  population1 though intelligent1
 is very sparse4 ,by the census of      
#aiag1 its percentage of illiteracy was 
#bj2 according to the estimate  of the  
author of a study of the ,territory1    
published in the ,anales  de la         
,universidad1 ,april1 #aiah1 this has   
been reduced to #g per cent4  ,credit is
 largely due the ,society of ,popular   
,instruction1 a private  organization1  
established in #aiaa1 which offers free 
instruction  to pupils of all ages4 ,in 
spite of the prevailing inclemency of   
the  climate1 the sessions of its day   
and night schools are excellently       
attended4 ,the system is centralized in 
,punta ,arenas4      ,,primary          

,,education4    ,unlike ,argentina and  
,brazil1 primary public education has   
always been  left in the hands of the   
central national government1 the        
individual  ,province having control of 
financial outlay and the construction of
  school buildings1 and this only when  
requirements of the national law  are   
fulfilled4 ,uniform programs of study   
and schedules of hours are  enforced    
throughout the nation4 ,but conditions  
of scarcity of materials  and labor     
render it impossible to keep many of the
 old buildings in  repair4 ,the tendency
 long criticized by the ,association of 
,teachers1 to  cram school buildings    
into the half dozen larger centers1     
seems in a  fair way to be checked4#a   
#a ,criticism has been freely expressed 
in the public press of the use  of a    
disproportionately large part of the    
primary school fund voted by  the       
,congress for the use of the executive4 
,this new order of things is most       
plainly seen in the attention paid  to  

rural schools1 which have predominated  
in the number built since  #aiaf4 ,the  
,government has instructed the committee
 on public works and  the department of 
primary instruction to develop a plan of
 building  uniform types of rural       
school4 ,the expenses are to be borne   
out of the  fund just mentioned4 ,three 
types are contemplated1 with a capacity 
of  #hj1 #afj1 and #djj pupils          
respectively1 solidly constructed1      
conforming  strictly to all modern      
demands of sanitation1 lighting1 and    
heating4 ,in  many places the ,north    
,american principle of consolidation of 
schools  has been applied1 to the       
distinct improvement of attendance and  
instruction1 #bjj small and struggling  
schools having been abolished  and #ajj 
annexed to others more centrally        
situated4 ,with these gains1  however1  
the crying need in ,chile is            
acknowledged to be more schools4  ,it is
 estimated that #aj1jjj elementary      
schools are yet needed for her          

approximately #gej1jjj children1 of whom
 slightly less than #djj1jjj are  in the
 schools of this grade1 and #ej1jjj in  
private parochial schools4  ,all        
educational thinkers are agreed that the
 situation calls for legal  compulsory  
attendance on primary instruction1      
rigidly enforced4      ,,secondary      
,,education4    ,secondary education in 
,chile is organized in three grades3    
7#a7 ,national  high schools2 7#b7      
liceos of the second class1 and 7#c7    
complete liceos  of the first class4    
7#a7 ,the high schools are a development
 of the last few years1 and are         
situated only in the larger centers4    
,they number #cj for boys and #ab  for  
girls1 enrolling less than #ab1jjj      
pupils1 and are generally little  more  
than higher elementary schools4 ,they   
are almost exclusively  technical1 and  
do not prepare the pupil for advanced   
study4    7#b7 ,the liceos of the second
 class 7sometimes called colegios71 of  
which about #ajj exist in the ,provinces

 and ,territories1 offer courses        
covering three years in the elementary  
subjects of instruction common  to      
scientific and literary groups4    7#c7 
,the liceos of the first class1         
numbering #dj for boys and #ca for      
girls1 and offering the full course of  
six years1 are representative  of the   
best in secondary education in          
,latin-,america4 ,those for boys1       
following the tradition of the ,spanish 
system for corresponding  schools1 are  
administered by the ,university of      
,chile2 those for girls1  by the        
,minister of ,public ,instruction and   
the ,national ,council4 ,the  practical 
and scientific wave which swept over    
this division of  education in #aiae    
caused the reinforcement of physical and
 chemical  teaching4 ,spanish1 history  
and geography1 religion 7optional71     
,french1  mathematics1 natural sciences1
 gymnastics and singing1 and manual     
training run through all six years of   
the course2 ,english 7or ,german  or    

,italian71 philosophy1 civics1          
penmanship and drawing1 mechanical      
drawing 7optional71 extend through      
varying numbers of years4 ,students  of 
secondary education are struck with the 
excessive number of hours  required     
weekly1 the minimum being #bi for the   
first year and the  maximum #cc for each
 of the last three years4    ,the       
essential purpose of the liceo of the   
first class is to prepare  for the      
university1 or for the professions2 and 
national scholarships  are granted1     
including maintenance at the hostels1 or
 annexed boarding  halls which were     
established five years ago4    ,the     
system of secondary education has long  
been criticized by ,chilean  educational
 thinkers as being too largely mental   
and literary1 and as  paying little1 if 
any1 attention to the physical and      
moral4 ,the attempt  to organize sports 
and physical exercises in secondary     
education has  met far less             
encouragement than in other ,south      

,american countries4    ,by decree of   
,may1 #aiag1 classes for illiterate     
girls over #g years old  were annexed to
 liceos for girls1 the ministry basing  
the number to be  admitted upon the     
attendance of the year previous4 ,this  
was stoutly  opposed by the ,national   
,educational ,association as being a    
confusion  of classification1 a         
violation of the continuity of the      
educational  system1 and an evasion of  
the palpable duty of the school         
authorities1  which should press the    
,government to establish fitting and    
proper  schools for such illiterate     
girls4    ,the ,government has appointed
 a commission of prominent men for the  
study of reforms necessary and advisable
 for programs of secondary  education   
for girls4 ,as matters stand1 the same  
programs of study  are set for both boys
 and girls1 a traditional arrangement   
the  disadvantages of which are coming  
fully to be recognized4    ,despite     
unfavorable and antiquated programs of  

studies1 the ,province  of ,nuble has   
made noteworthy progress in female      
secondary education4  ,in ,chillan1 its 
capital1 are conducted four liceos1     
three of which are  for girls4          
,ambitious courses in the classics1     
social sciences1 and  rudimentary       
science are offered4 ,one of them1 the  
,instituto ,pedagogico1  founded in     
#aiab1 exercises far-reaching influence 
over the social1  moral1 and artistic   
conditions of the ,province4 ,the       
,american ,liceo1  a private            
institution1 conducted by teachers from 
the ,united ,states1  devotes especial  
attention to the teaching of ,english1  
colloquial and  literary1 and also gives
 instruction generally along thoroughly 
modern  high-school lines4              
,,training ,,of ,,teachers4    ,chile's 
system of training teachers is          
distinctively eclectic1  borrowing1 as  
it has done1 from ,france1 ,sweden1     
,germany1 and the ,united  ,states4     
,before #ahgj ,french influence         

predominated1 the great ,argentine      
educator1 ,sarmiento1 himself a pupil of
 the school of ,saint-,simon1  having   
founded the first normal school in #ahdb
 while in exile from the  tyranny of the
 dictator ,rosas4 ,german influence     
became pronounced about  #ahhj1 when    
that nation began to supply men and     
women teachers in the  normals and as   
instructors in all grades of education4 
,since #be years  ago the tide began to 
turn toward ,north ,american influence1 
especially  of the type of education    
developed in the ,northwestern ,states4 
,the  ,chilean ideal is a judicious     
combination of 7#a7 an institution for  
the training of teachers for public     
schools who shall have adequate         
culture1 specialized training1 manual   
skill1 and theoretical and  practical   
knowledge of modern subjects1 and 7#b7  
an institution for  training in social  
relations and habits1 exercising steady 
influence on  the social environment of 
the school by means of popular courses  

and  conferences1 and participation in  
popular movements4    ,the full course  
in the #af training colleges for        
teachers covers five  years1 of which   
the first three are devoted to general  
education and  the last two to          
professional training4 ,the course for  
the fifth year is  essentially          
professional1 consisting of pedagogy    
7history1 methodology1  and practice    
teaching71 #ag hours weekly2 ,spanish1  
#a hour2 ,english or  ,french or        
,german1 #d hours2 civics and economics1
 #b hours2 hygiene1 #b  hours2          
horticulture or metallography1 #b hours2
 drawing1 #a hour2 manual  arts1 #b     
hours2 music1 #a hour2 physical         
education1 #c hours4 ,all expenses  are 
defrayed1 in return for which the pupil 
is pledged to teach for  seven years in 
the national schools4    ,the actual    
method of instruction is along ,german  
lines4 ,object lessons1  those in       
natural history and history and         
geography have all impressed  recent    

foreign visitors as essentially         
,herbartian4 ,perhaps in no other       
country of the world1 since the         
well-drilled ,german schools fell into  
chaos1 is the influence of the normal   
schools upon the system and  method of  
public instruction more powerful than in
 ,chile4 ,indeed1  this potent influence
 has overleaped the boundaries of ,chile
 proper  and affected every country of  
,latin ,america4 ,a supreme example is  
the influence of the ,instituto         
,pedagogico1 the best known of ,chilean 
normal schools1 founded in #aiji1 with  
predominatingly ,german faculty1  which 
has developed into a type of higher     
normal school with a colegio  annexed1  
emphasizing practice teaching with      
subsequent criticism  and courses of    
general pedagogy and methodology in     
every subject4  ,its certificates rank  
highest in the secondary and normal     
education  of the capital city2 students
 are attracted to it from the other     
,latin-,american ,states1 and return    

home to reorganize education there      
along its lines4 ,its boast is that it  
inspired the establishment of the       
,instituto ,nacional at ,buenos ,aires4 
,scandinavian and ,belgian influences   
are at work in the ,instituto  de       
,profesores ,especiales4 ,established in
 #aijf1 it was definitely  reorganized  
in #aiaj and installed in the building  
especially  constructed for it4 ,of its 
#cjj pupils #bjj are women1 and the     
majority  of both men and women are     
active teachers in the schools of the   
capital4 ,it offers courses common to   
all the specialized sections1  such as  
psychology1 ,french1 pedagogy1 civics1  
and school legislation1  and includes   
five sections1 fundamental to its       
organization3 ,physical  education1     
manual arts1 drawing and penmanship1    
domestic economy1 and  vocal music4 ,for
 the convenience of teachers1           
instruction is given from  #g to #i a4m4
 and from #d to #h p4m4    ,the last few
 years have seen wide extension of the  

demand for rural  normal schools1 and   
many critics of the existent schools    
have urged  that they follow those of   
the ,state of ,wisconsin as a model4    
,the  essential solidarity of           
educational aims of the ,south ,american
  republics is shown by the fact that   
,chile1 ,argentina1 and ,bolivia  during
 the same period drew their inspiration 
from the same ,north  ,american source4 
,the decree already mentioned under the 
head of primary education  emphasizes   
the duty of the normal schools to       
prepare free of all  expense primary    
teachers for any of the three grades of 
instruction4  ,each normal school is    
also required to have annexed such      
specially  organized practice schools as
 shall be necessary4 ,at the discretion 
of  the ,president of the ,republic1 the
 normal schools shall offer special     
courses for those students who have     
passed the examinations of the  fifth   
year of the colegios1 with the aim of   
attracting such students  into the field

 of teaching4 ,that the need of wider   
training of the  teachers is a pressing 
one in ,chile is shown by the fact that1
 in #aiae1  of #c1jjj rural teachers1   
only #cej1 and of #f1bdj primary        
teachers of the  nation at large1 only  
#b1dce1 had normal school training4 ,the
 service  had to be recruited by #b1jjj 
graduates of primary schools who passed 
examinations1 and by #a1hej applicants  
who held no certificate and were        
allowed to serve as temporary           
substitutes4    ,of special interest is 
the annual reciprocity of teachers      
between the  ,government of ,chile and  
the ,universities of the ,states of     
,california  and ,washington1 arranged  
in #aiah4 ,each party is to send four4  
,for the  present the ,chilean          
commission has expressed predominant    
interest in  secondary education1 and   
has called for one university professor1
 one  normal-school teacher1 one teacher
 of technical subjects1 and one  teacher
 7preferably a woman7 in secondary      

education4 ,the universities  mentioned 
will act as the agents in the selection 
of the instructors4    ,interchange of  
university professors has also been     
arranged with  ,uruguay1 which is for   
the present confined to medical         
instruction4    ,the ,national          
,educational ,association has at many   
meetings pressed for  the scientific and
 practical training of the teachers of  
,chile in  vocational studies2 and for  
the appropriation by the ,congress of a 
definite sum for sending normal teachers
 abroad for study in the modern         
practical and sociological subjects4    
,,technical ,,education4    ,for this   
branch of education the ,national       
,educational ,association  in #aiag     
recommended that there be established by
 law a ,council of  ,industrial         
,education composed of a director and   
#ab members1 four of  whom shall be     
professors of the fundamental technical 
branches1 one  a woman inspector of     
vocational schools for women1 one an    

inspector  general of primary education1
 one the director general of railroads1 
and one a director and inspector of army
 munitions4 ,their duties should  be to 
exercise superintendency over the entire
 system of technical  and industrial    
education to be organized in the        
,republic1 over the  national school of 
arts and trades1 and over such          
industrial schools  for girls and women 
as might be established4 ,on this board 
should be  likewise all inspectors and  
officials of such branches as might be  
later established4 ,a bill embodying    
these provisions was introduced in  the 
,congress but has not as yet been acted 
upon4    ,steady progress in all        
branches of technical education has been
 shown4  ,the schools of higher primary 
grade offering technical courses  number
 #bhh1 with physical training and       
gymnastics compulsory in all  grades4   
,there were also in operation #bi       
technical colegios for women2  #f       
agricultural colegios2 #aj commercial   

schools1 controlled by the  commission  
upon commercial education2 and #c       
schools of mines4    ,the department of 
industrial promotion has urged upon the 
,congress the  establishment of a chain 
of industrial and agricultural schools4 
,with the establishment by law of the   
,industrial ,university of  ,valparaiso 
there will be completed the full cycle  
of industrial  education in ,chile1     
consisting of3 7#a7 ,elementary         
industrial training  in two schools     
already established and in six more to  
be established2  7#b7 secondary         
industrial training in the ,school of   
,arts and ,crafts2 and  7#c7 higher     
industrial training in the ,technical   
,school of ,valparaiso4    ,in          
,november1 #aiah1 met the first         
,national ,congress of ,dairying1       
organized under the auspices of the     
,agronomic ,society of ,chile4  ,it     
urged the legal organization of         
instruction in this branch in  7#a7     
special schools of dairying in northern 

and central ,chile2 7#b7  courses       
annexed to already established schools  
of agriculture2 7#c7  in establishments 
of secondary education for youths of    
both sexes in  popular meetings and     
public traveling courses2 7#d7 in rural 
primary  schools for illiterate adults4 
,it is appropriate to mention just here 
the comprehensive project of  the board 
of missions of the ,methodist ,episcopal
 ,church of the ,united  ,states for the
 establishment of an agricultural and   
industrial system  of education in      
southern ,chile4 ,it has been approved  
by the ,government  of ,chile as a      
potent aid in the uplift of the peon    
class4 ,a ranch of  nearly #d1jjj acres 
has been purchased along the ,malleco   
,river1 on  which it is purposed to     
train the native population in the      
rudimentary  subjects of instruction1   
and especially in modern agricultural   
methods4  ,the management will employ   
the best available experts in           
horticulture1  agriculture1 and domestic

 arts to be found in the ,south         
,american  countries who may be         
acquainted with the needs of ,chilean   
rural life4      ,,the ,,national       
,,educational ,,association ,,of        
,,chile4    ,this body plays a larger   
part in educational thought and         
leadership  than the corresponding body 
in any other ,latin ,american ,state4   
,its  activities are planned for close  
articulation of the social and          
educational needs of the nation4 ,one of
 the furthest reaching is  the          
public-extension work in subjects of    
university and secondary  instruction4  
,in #aiag1 its eleventh year of         
operation1 it held #ad  conferences at  
the ,university of ,chile1 with an      
attendance of #ae1jjj1  an increase of  
#ej per cent over the previous year4    
,the subjects  treated were patriotic1  
historical1 literary1 artistic1         
sociological1  commercial1 and          
medico-therapeutic4    ,in secondary    
extension during #aiag there were held  

in provincial  capitals #ai conferences 
on subjects more popular and more       
exclusively  educational and            
sociological4    ,the department of     
university extension has also for three 
years  devoted itself to collecting     
international data upon immigration  and
 naturalization laws1 and has cooperated
 with all the labor  organizations of   
the ,republic to hinder the passage of  
premature and  unscientific laws in this
 field4    ,the activities of the       
association cover a wide range4 ,in his 
report for  the year #aiag the president
 reviewed the activities of the body and
  examined the most important problems  
to which it had addressed itself  during
 the period4 ,they were3     #a4 ,the   
establishment of a rural normal school1 
a project not yet   realized4     #b4   
,democratic education by the progressive
 elimination of primary   courses of    
education in secondary institutions4    
#c4 ,obligatory primary instruction1    
sought by a law passed by the   ,chamber

 of ,deputies in #aiag1 but as yet not  
acted upon by the ,senate4     #d4      
,nationalization of the ,chilean system 
of education1 a question   which needs  
to be presented still more in detail to 
the nation and the   ,congress4    ,like
 ,argentina1 ,chile has a grave problem 
in the assimilation of  alien elements1 
and her nationalism is alarmed at the   
activity of the  school organizations of
 diverse races existent on her soil4    
,french  students of education are      
intensely interested in this development
 as a  vindication of their prophecies1 
for they have long been pointing out    
the ,germanization of ,chilean          
education4    ,the association has      
vigorously urged legislation requiring  
the close  and systematic inspection of 
all nongovernmental schools1 especially 
those of secondary grade in north       
,chile1 where ,german propaganda has    
for years been an open secret1 carried  
on1 as was well known1 by a             
,german-,chilean ,union of ,teachers1   

and where ,german liceos exist in full  
operation4 ,the association urged the   
requirement in secondary schools  of    
essentially national subjects1 such as  
,spanish and the history1  geography1   
and civics of ,chile1 taught by         
,chileans and descendants of  ,chileans4
    ,in the field of physical education1
 the activities of the association  have
 been specially directed to securing    
proper playgrounds for schools  and to  
arousing practical interest in this     
field among philanthropists  and the    
public at large4 ,the association has   
taken strong ground  for antialcoholic  
instruction in primary and secondary    
schools1  urging that such be           
incorporated in the textbooks in the    
study of  physiology1 hygiene1 and      
temperance1 and in independent courses  
in  public schools and ,state colegios4 
,the project encountered opposition  in 
the ,national ,congress4 ,the           
association has also grappled with the  
problem of immorality1 issuing in ,may1 

#aiag1 appeals to families on  sexual   
ethics and the systematic inculcation of
 ethical ideas of sex by  educational   
and therapeutic measures4 ,during #aiag1
 fraternal relations  were established  
with ,brazil and ,bolivia1 on the       
occasion of the  inauguration of the    
,higher ,normal ,institute4             
,,education ,,in ,,uruguay4             
,,general ,,introduction4    ,the marked
 educational awakening of ,uruguay      
during the last biennium  has been only 
one phase of the universal demand of the
 nation for a  new social and economic  
adjustment4 ,perhaps the chief          
manifestation of  this has been the     
adoption of the new constitution in     
place of the old1  which had been in    
force exactly #ij years4 ,at a          
plebiscite of ,november1  #aiag1 the    
constitution as formulated was submitted
 to the people and  adopted by a vote of
 #he1jjj to #d1jjj2 and it became the   
fundamental law  of the land on ,march  
#a1 #aiai4 ,as regards its bearings upon

 educational  administration1 the most  
noteworthy change--and perhaps that     
around  which centered most opposition  
during its consideration--was the       
provision which divides the executive   
power between a ,president and a        
,national ,council of ,administration4  
,the latter body1 composed of nine      
members elected for six years  directly 
by the people1 and absolutely           
independent of the ,president1  has     
charge of all matters relating to public
 instruction1 public works1  labor1     
industries1 public charities1 health1   
and the preparation of  the annual      
national budget4 ,the administrative    
officers of public  instruction of all  
grades1 including the minister1 are     
appointed by  the ,national ,council and
 are subject to its authority according 
to  such particular laws and regulations
 as the ,congress may enact4 ,this      
substitution of a composite board for an
 individual as the fountainhead  of     
educational authority is an experiment  

whose operations will be  observed with 
much interest in a country of ,south    
,america habituated by  tradition to    
authority concentrated in an individual4
      ,,illiteracy4    ,instruction of  
adults and the night schools4--,the     
problem of  combating illiteracy1 as in 
all the more progressive ,south         
,american  countries during the last    
biennium1 has received more systematic  
consideration than during any previous  
period4#b ,as will be seen  later in the
 consideration of the rural schools1    
measures have been  taken which are of  
unusual importance for the instruction  
of youthful  illiterates4 ,in the       
related field of instruction of adults  
who are  illiterates or nearly so1 work 
of a creative nature has been done in   
,uruguay4 ,the mere statistics show     
progress1 the courses offered for       
adults in the year #aiaf-ag being #ee in
 excess of the former year and  the     
enrollment #e1bhd1 an increase of #a1fga
 over that year2 but the new  spirit    

animating this branch is the notable    
feature4 ,the authorities  have kept it 
steadily in mind to carry adult         
education out from the  capital city to 
the rural districts2 and the national   
authorities of  primary education have  
cooperated efficiently in lending       
schoolhouses  as places for adult       
instruction and encouraging primary     
teachers to  assist in this work4 ,the  
,government has furthered the study of  
the  problem in the researches of ,seor 
,hipolito ,coirolo1 director of the     
largest night school for adults in      
,montevideo4 ,seor ,coirolo spent       
nearly two years in collecting          
systematic data from ,argentina1        
,brazil1  ,colombia1 and ,paraguay1     
which were naturally confronted by the  
same  problems in adult illiteracy4 ,in 
,march1 #aiag1 he presented to the      
authorities the results of his findings 
in a project for the organic  reform of 
instruction for adults in the night     
schools4 ,seor ,coirolo  maintained that

 the time was ripe for progress in this 
field to keep  pace with the other      
educational demands1 more especially as 
it was  admitted that the prevailing    
system was a more or less poorly made   
combination of regulations and practices
 covering many localities and  periods1 
and had been only tentatively adopted by
 presidential decree  in #aijc1 and     
given legal existence in #aijg1 when #ce
 night schools  were organized4 ,all    
familiar with conditions knew that they 
were now  completely out of touch with  
modern social and educational demands4  
#b ,see executive message of ,may1      
#aiag1 accompanying project of law  for 
appropriation of #ej1jjj for appointment
 of #ajj assistant primary  teachers for
 the ,departments of the ,republic4     
,seor ,coirolo found the curriculum of  
night schools too largely  theoretical  
and bookish and in only a few instances 
offering practical  instruction4 ,after 
careful study of the subjects offered in
 the night  schools of progressive      

countries1 he urged that the night      
schools of  the future be organized upon
 the following main lines3    #a4 ,the  
completion of #ag years of age requisite
 for admission4    #b4 ,the division    
into three classes1 each occupying a    
year according to  the degree of        
illiteracy1 and the division of each    
class into three  cycles of three months
 each1 the cycle to be the unit of time1
 without  limitation upon the transfer  
of pupils from one cycle to another4    
#c4 ,the subjects to be introduced in   
logical sequence and to be taught  in   
accordance with the development of the  
pupil and to consist of  reading1       
language work1 writing1 arithmetic1     
elements of applied  geometry1 singing1 
drawing1 moral instruction1 elements of 
anatomy1  physiology1 hygiene1 civic    
instruction1 geography1 and history     
7national and universal72 talks and     
lessons on objects of daily  life1      
manual arts1 domestic economy1 and      
household arts2 elements  of political  

economy1 sociology1 psychology1 duties  
of parents1  accounting1 and industrial 
training4 ,individual conferences with  
teachers1 reading1 writing1 and         
arithmetic are to be continued through  
all three years2 and each year is to    
close with a review and finishing       
course1 devoting attention to individual
 needs4    #d4 ,under the head of       
general administration the proponent    
urged the  elimination of religious     
instruction in night schools1 less      
attention  to examinations for          
promotion1 the prohibition of holding   
night  schools in buildings occupied by 
children during the day1 and careful    
inspection of night schools by appointed
 authorities4    ,certain of these      
provisions were embodied in a           
ministerial decree  of ,october1 #aiag1 
which stressed the importance of this   
branch of  education in the national    
life1 and appropriated #aj1jjj for the  
increase of the staff of teachers in    
commercial subjects and domestic  arts4 

,,primary ,,education1 ,,public ,,and   
,,private4    ,in #aiag slightly less   
than #ajj1jjj pupils were enrolled in   
the #a1jad  public primary schools of   
,uruguay1 an increase of #b1ejj over the
  preceding year4 ,of these1 nearly     
#fe1jjj were enrolled in the city of    
,montevideo alone4    ,in administration
 and inspection the authorities in this 
field were  active and progressive4     
,tentative reforms in the programs of   
study for  the schools of towns and     
villages1 a step long urged by them1    
were  outlined by the minister of       
education2 and wider latitude was       
allowed  such individual schools in the 
matter of adapting nature study and     
practical courses to regular school work
 in accordance with local  conditions   
and occupations4 ,this step was in      
keeping with the attention  paid to     
rural schools1 which will be discussed  
later4    ,by executive resolution of   
,july1 #aiag1 the long-discussed change 
in  the school year was made by which it

 shall hereafter open ,march #a and     
close ,december #ae4 ,as with the       
similar change in ,argentina1 beneficial
  results1 especially in the rural      
schools1 are expected1 as this          
arrangement is in conformity with       
climatic conditions4 ,the change was    
made after investigation among the      
teaching force1 and the country         
teachers won a victory over their city  
fellows1 who favored vacations  in the  
summer4 ,this is but another and a      
significant effect of the  steady       
centripetal attraction of the           
overshadowing capital city1 more  marked
 even in the new countries of ,south    
,america than in the old  ones of       
,europe4 ,the country teachers have     
openly expressed their wish  to spend   
the longest possible time in the        
capital1 in spite of the  inconveniences
 of such a sojourn in the summer4 ,a    
further light upon  the country         
teacher's point of view is shown by the 
information that  the long vacations in 

winter permit the small landowner to    
employ his  children in labors of       
battage1 which begin in ,december and   
last most  of the winter4 ,the schools  
are therefore practically empty in      
winter4  ,it is manifestly wiser to put 
the former long vacation of ,july at    
this  time4    ,complaints having become
 more frequent in regard to the blocking
  of educational administration in      
certain departments because of          
disagreements among inspectors1 more    
drastic requirements were laid  down by 
resolutions of the ,national ,inspection
 of ,primary ,instruction1  dated       
,february1 #aiag4 ,the authority of the 
departmental inspector  over the        
subinspectors was confirmed2 in the     
event of disagreement or                
insubordination the departmental        
inspector was required to present  the  
case to the ,department of ,national    
,inspection2 the visitation  of schools 
was distributed as nearly equally as    
possible2 and the  responsibility for   

inaction was put squarely upon the      
inspectors4    ,these provisions1       
rigorous as they were1 did not prove    
adequate1  and much of the business of  
the schools of the outlying departments 
still remained blocked4 ,the executive1 
therefore1 in ,november1  #aiag1        
transmitted to the ,congress1 along with
 a message emphasizing  the necessity of
 the law1 a project for the             
establishment of three  divisions of    
regional inspectors of primary education
 to exercise  general supervision over  
the departmental inspectors and the     
schools  of the ,republic4 ,these       
regional inspectors acting as a unit    
were to  constitute the technical       
inspection of the school authorities4   
,their  functions were to be regulated  
by the executive in accordance with  the
 reports of the national inspection and 
the general direction of  primary       
instruction4 ,the hitherto existing     
chief inspectors1 technical1  adjunct1  
and chief of statistics were to be      

transformed into regional  inspectors1  
and under their immediate supervision   
were to be put all  the departmental    
inspectors4 ,the projected law          
encountered unexpected  opposition1 and 
its passage has not as yet been secured4
    ,scientific interest in the         
character of the textbooks adopted for  
use  in the primary schools of ,uruguay 
has been aroused by the ,government's   
offer of prizes for satisfactory        
textbooks and by the publication in  the
 ,anales de ,instruccion ,primaria of   
illustrative lines and themes  of       
treatment4 ,the general assembly has    
authorized the offer of #f1jjj  in      
prizes in the contest for the           
composition of a book combining in a    
single volume all the textbook material 
needed in the fourth1 fifth1  and sixth 
classes in the public schools of        
,montevideo4 ,this offer had  as its    
object to lower the cost of education   
and thus to facilitate  attendance1 as  
the book in question was to be          

distributed gratuitously  in cases of   
need4    ,a circular issued by the      
department of technical inspection in   
,april1  #aiag1 called the attention of 
teachers to the abuses of assigning     
written home work and limited such tasks
 to #cj minutes in classes of  the first
 grade and to one hour for those in     
higher grades4    ,by executive decree1 
school savings funds and a system of aid
 for  necessitous children1 supplying   
clothing1 midday meal1 transportation1  
and books1 were established and placed  
in charge of the administrative  council
 for each department1 composed of the   
departmental authorities  of primary    
education1 and the civil authorities of 
the several  localities1 presided over  
by the departmental inspectors4 ,the    
funds for  the institution of this      
system were to be drawn from ,state     
subventions  to municipalities1 school  
fees1 and legacies and gifts to such    
objects4  ,although the ,congress in    
,october1 #aiag1 appropriated #cj1jjj to

  organize the system1 financial        
considerations have as yet prevented its
  practical organization4    ,private   
instruction4--,for the first time in the
 history of ,uruguay  systematic steps  
have been taken to ascertain the real   
nature and  aims of private instruction4
 ,by executive decree of ,may1 #aiag1   
the  inspector of private instruction   
and the assistant director general of   
primary public instruction were directed
 to address to every private            
educational institution in ,uruguay a   
questionnaire in duplicate calling  for 
information concerning its teaching     
staff1 the mental and physical          
condition of its pupils1 the hygienic   
conditions of the building and  site1   
classrooms1 dormitories1 playgrounds1   
source and nature of  drinking water1   
lighting conditions1 school furniture   
and equipment1  programs of study1      
methods1 textbooks1 school hours1 and   
the general  organization and           
administration of the school4 ,no time  

limit was set  for the reply1 but it was
 requested within a reasonable time4    
,the gist  of the information gathered  
and the action of the ,government have  
not  as yet been published4 ,such a move
 has naturally aroused opposition in    
conservative and ecclesiastical circles1
 and its results are awaited  with keen 
interest by other ,south ,american      
countries which have to deal  with      
similar problems4    ,the issues aroused
 by the consideration of the private    
schools  continued to grow more acute   
and culminated in the introduction of a 
bill in the ,congress in ,march1 #aiah1 
forbidding the opening of private       
schools of any grade without the written
 permission of the inspectoral          
department of private instruction or the
 departmental inspectors of  primary    
instruction2 and requiring all teachers 
in private schools to  hold a ,state    
teacher's diploma in accordance with the
 provisions of the  law of public       
instruction1 and debarring the clergy   

from teaching in  any such private      
schools4 ,the bill naturally became a   
storm center and  is as yet unenacted   
into law4      ,,rural ,,schools4       
,until the breaking out of the ,world   
,war1 and the consequent upsetting  of  
traditions in all ,south ,american      
countries whose outlet is on the        
,atlantic ,ocean1 educational thought in
 ,uruguay concerned itself largely  with
 the capital city4 ,in this respect1 as 
in that of population 7one  out of three
 people in ,uruguay lives in            
,montevideo71 the centralizing  tendency
 of ,south ,american countries is well  
illustrated4 ,but a vital  change began 
to show itself from #aiad to #aiaf1 and 
in the latter  year it acquired         
extraordinary impetus from the support  
of national  leaders and of the press4  
,the nation has grown steadily to       
recognize  the proper balance to be     
observed between the claims of the      
schools of  the capital and those of the
 rural districts4 ,it has come to see   

that  a healthy national life was       
possible only with organic changes in   
the  schools of the outlying            
departments1 and that these of          
,montevideo could  without danger be    
left at their present status until the  
education of  the people from whom the  
great city was steadily recruited should
 be  attended to4 ,it is in the light of
 this radical change in the national    
attitude that the educational history of
 ,uruguay for the last biennium  should 
be read4    ,this epoch in educational  
progress has been further marked by the 
recognition of the need of financial    
support for rural education1 and  the   
further need of differentiating the     
subjects of instruction proper  for     
rural children from those adapted to the
 city4 ,in getting this  principle      
clearly before the public mind1 the     
educational authorities  of ,uruguay    
have played a part excelled in few      
countries for skill and  devotion to the
 national interests4 ,mention should be 

made of the able  contributions of ,seor
 ,a4 ,j4 ,prez1 ,national ,inspector of 
,primary  ,education1 especially of his 
study entitled 8,de la cultura          
necessaria  en la democracia0 7,anales1 
#aiah71 which applies to modern         
conditions ,de  ,tocqueville's main     
lines of thought4    ,a commission of   
nine experienced teachers1 six men and  
three women1  with ,seor ,prez as       
chairman1 was appointed by executive    
decree to  formulate the program of     
study for the projected rural schools4  
,it began its sessions in ,february1    
#aiag1 and met frequently for  two      
months4 ,its report was presented in    
,may1 #aiag4 ,approved by the  executive
 in ,june1 by decree it went into effect
 on ,march #a1 #aiah4 ,the  main        
contentions of the commission in support
 of its plan are well  worthy of notice3
    #a4 ,far-reaching changes within a  
generation in the commercial and        
industrial life of the nation have      
affected the rural districts and  have  

called for different subjects and       
methods of instruction for the  children
 of these districts4 ,the rural school  
of the future must be  recognized as    
fundamentally an elementary industrial  
school adjusted to  local conditions4   
#b4 ,the successful rural school must   
have the following aims3 ,to  inculcate 
conscientious and efficient labor2 to   
minister to a  well-regulated and happy 
home life2 to diffuse the knowledge of  
private  and public hygiene1 and to     
further the increase of population and  
public wealth and1 in general1 the      
possession of a well-founded and        
enduring popular liberty4    #c4 ,the   
intimate relation of the rural schools  
with the problems of home  life requires
 the new rural school to be taught by   
women1 and therefore  the training of   
young women as teachers in such schools 
should be at  once initiated and        
continued as the basis of their success4
 ,concrete  illustration is found in the
 successful intensive training of #bd   

young  women in a course of six weeks at
 the normal institute at ,montevideo in 
the summer of #aiag4    #d4 ,in the     
administrative organization the         
committee was guided by the  following  
general principles3 7a7 ,not to install 
rural schools by  foundation or transfer
 except in localities where donations of
 ground  of not less than #d hectares   
7#aj acres7 should be immediately       
available2  7b7 to urge similar         
donations1 public or private1 to        
existing rural  schools which lacked    
grounds of the minimum area above       
indicated2  7c7 to propose and encourage
 the transfer of rural schools that  had
 no grounds annexed nor could obtain    
such by donation to another  parish     
where such advantages could be obtained 
without prejudice to the  interests of  
the rural schools in the district4      
#e4 ,no child below #g years of age     
should be admitted to the rural         
schools4    #f4 ,the programs of study  
for the rural schools occupied the      

greater  part of the commission's time4 
,the subjects of instruction as reported
  covered three years1 and were reading1
 language work1 writing1  arithmetic1   
drawing1 agriculture1 domestic economy1 
elements of applied  geometry1 geography
 and history 7local1 national1 and      
universal71  singing1 and gymnastics4   
,in the view of the commission itself1  
the  feature which peculiarly           
differentiates these new programs is the
  complete application of practical     
methods and aims to each of these       
subjects1 the elimination of abstract   
and memory teaching1 and1 above  all1   
the development of the subjects of      
drawing1 agriculture1 and  domestic     
economy4 ,the fundamental aim throughout
 was to correlate  instruction with the 
conditions and occupations of life in   
the several  communities and to lead the
 pupil to see each subject as related to
  practical utility4    ,following the  
promulgation of the report of the       
commission1 lively  interest was        

manifested by the nation at large in the
 initiation of  such rural schools4     
,practical difficulties1 however1 were  
foreseen in  securing funds for their   
launching upon the nation-wide scale    
hoped  for1 and restlessness in certain 
quarters was manifested1 though the     
,chamber of ,deputies promptly voted the
 funds necessary4 ,the ,national  ,rural
 ,congress of ,uruguay1 in session in   
,august1 #aiag1 addressed to  the       
minister of public instruction an urgent
 plea for carrying out the  terms of the
 report in time for the opening of at   
least a part of such  schools with the  
new school year4      ,,medical         
,,inspection ,,of ,,schools4    ,the    
medical inspection of schools has been  
favorably regarded in  ,uruguay for a   
number of years4 ,it was initiated by   
law in #aiac with  the examination of   
the pupils of the normal schools in     
,montevideo and  the division of urban  
and rural schools into five groups4     
,since then  popular approval of its    

application to the schools of the nation
 has  steadily grown4    ,under the     
present law individual inspection of the
 physical condition  of pupils concerns 
itself only with those who enter for the
 first time4  ,naturally the law is     
applied with varying degrees of rigor1  
the schools  of the capital being       
visited regularly by the medical        
inspectors1 while  those of the outlying
 departments are dependent upon the     
energy and  faithfulness of the         
individual inspector4 ,the law assigns  
to each a  certain number of schools to 
visit4 ,capable medical inspectors have 
served their nation well in pointing out
 the grave disadvantages from  the use  
of primary schools for night schools for
 adults1 especially the  danger of      
tuberculosis4    ,medical inspectors are
 also required by law to include in     
their  tri-monthly reports              
recommendations for repairs1            
alterations1 etc41  of school buildings 
and grounds called for by sanitary or   

hygienic  considerations4    ,dental    
inspection has also been systematically 
carried on in most of  the schools of   
the capital1 the reports of oral and    
dental affections  observed in the      
children reaching #gf per cent of the   
total ailments  noted4 ,ocular          
inspection in the schools of ,montevideo
 has also been  made a separate field   
within the last biennium4    ,by an     
amendment of #aiaf to the existing law  
an annual physical  examination of      
teachers in the schools of ,montevideo  
will be required4  ,this was naturally1 
and in certain instances bitterly1      
opposed2 but the  opposition has largely
 died down1 and the teachers themselves 
have come  to realize the benefits      
involved4      ,,physical ,,training4   
,in accordance with the wish of         
educational officials to diffuse among  
the schools of ,uruguay the benefits of 
international progress in the  physical 
betterment of school children1 a        
commission was named by the  executive  

in ,april1 #aiaf1 to draw up a plan of  
physical education  in schools4 ,this   
commission1 acting in cooperation with  
the general  direction of primary       
instruction1 recommended to the         
executive the  appointment of a         
permanent technical commission of       
physical training  for schools1 and this
 recommendation was approved by         
executive decree  of ,march #h1 #aiah4  
,the commission so appointed was to     
consist of a  member of the general     
direction of primary instruction1 one of
 the  national commission of physical   
education1 a physician of the medical   
school staff1 a physician to be named by
 the ,national ,council of  ,hygiene1   
the technical inspector of primary      
education1 the technical  director of   
the ,national ,commission of ,physical  
,education1 the teachers  of gymnastics 
of the normal institutes and of the     
primary schools of  the capital1 and two
 physicians who were specialists in     
diseases of  children4    ,the province 

of the commission was to draw up for the
 general direction  of primary          
instruction programs of physical        
exercises for schools2 to  outline      
methods of instruction2 to see that     
these programs and methods  were        
practically carried out in the public   
schools1 to inform the  school          
authorities upon points of deficiency in
 instruction and to  indicate measures  
of correcting these2 to organize        
gymnastic meetings  and exhibitions for 
schools1 and in general to promote the  
diffusion of  physical education in the 
schools4    ,in furtherance of the      
awakened national interest in physical  
education1  the executive has appointed 
departmental commissions in various     
departments for the immediate provision 
of adequate playgrounds and  the        
acquisition of apparatus for games to be
 installed in town and  village plazas4 
,these have cooperated with the         
,national ,commission  for ,physical    
,education1 the latter having decreed   

the establishment1  upon application of 
residents1 of neighborhood and community
 playing  centers4 ,all games1          
especially those of ,north ,america1    
which are  adapted to the climate and   
environment have been systematically    
encouraged4 ,in localities where it was 
required by law the executive  has      
authorized the municipal authorities1   
with the consent of the  national       
commission1 to negotiate such loans as  
were necessary for the  financial       
carrying out of this nation-wide scheme4
 ,these are steps of  very great        
significance in a country of ,south     
,america not by tradition  or racial    
inheritance addicted to outdoor sports4 
,,secondary ,,education4    ,by         
executive message of ,february #ad1     
#aiah1 the work of certain of  the      
departmental liceos in discovering boys 
of talent in the higher  elementary     
schools who were without means of       
continuing their  education1 and giving 
them opportunities to pursue their      

studies by  means of a system of        
scholarships1 was highly commended1     
especially  as a beginning of bridging  
the chasm between elementary and        
secondary  education4    ,in response to
 popular demand1 courses in ,italian and
 ,portuguese were  incorporated by      
decree of the secondary education       
division of public  instruction in      
#aiag4 ,with the object of making known 
to teachers  in secondary education the 
international progress in this field1 a 
journal entitled 8,revista de ,enseanza 
,secundaria0 was established by         
executive decree under the direction of 
the secretary of this division4  ,all   
reports and public business concerning  
this division are to be  published in   
this journal4    ,by executive decree of
 ,november1 #aiag1 all courses for the  
training of  primary-school teachers    
maintained since ,april1 #aiaf1 in the  
liceos of  the outlying departments were
 discontinued4 ,they had been originally
  instituted by way of experiment for   

supplying teachers for the rural        
schools1 and were not regarded as       
serving this purpose4 ,furthermore1 in  
view of the agitation for improved rural
 schools1 it was regarded as  useless to
 continue a system of training which had
 proved1 because of  its environment1   
impracticable to harmonize with modern  
schools4      ,,commercial ,,education4 
,the past biennium has seen a           
considerable development of interest  in
 commercial education4 ,by executive    
recommendation and by law of  ,january1 
#aiaf1 there were introduced in the     
liceos and national schools  of commerce
 in the capital and three of the larger 
cities courses of  varying length for   
the training of boys for the consular1  
diplomatic1  and foreign agency         
services4 ,by ministerial decree of     
,april1 #aiag1  there were incorporated 
in the national schools of commerce     
courses  in civil and commercial law1   
,american history1 and advanced courses 
in accounting and bookkeeping2 and legal

 permission was given the  individual   
school to extend the latter courses into
 the fifth year  wherever deemed        
suitable4 ,in common with students      
finishing the courses  in the liceos1   
those from national school of commerce  
were granted  opportunity to compete for
 scholarships abroad offered by decree  
of  ,january1 #aiah4 ,these scholarships
 are good for one or more years         
according to the success of the holder1 
and are apportioned among the           
departments according to the discretion 
of the council of secondary  and        
preparatory education4 ,among the usual 
scholastic requirements  called for are 
periodical reports from the holder of   
such a scholarship  concerning the      
social and economic conditions of the   
people among whom  he has been sent to  
study4    ,following the plan drawn up  
at ,montevideo in the summer of #aiah   
by governmental and educational         
representatives from most of the  ,south
 ,american countries1 invitations were  

sent to all interested  in commercial   
education to attend the ,south ,american
 ,congress of  ,commercial ,education to
 be held in that city in                
,january-,february1  #aiai4 ,the best   
talent in this division of education was
 assigned the  discussion of topics     
which were considered as most urgent at 
the  present time4 ,they were treated   
under two main heads1 those of 7a7      
economic commercial expansion and 7b7   
commercial instruction4 ,the  former    
head1 not being essentially educational1
 calls for no notice  here4 ,the latter 
included the following topics3    #a4   
,from what points1 how1 and by what     
means commercial education should  be   
developed on the ,american continent2   
extent and sub-division of such         
instruction4    #b4 ,means of           
stimulating acquaintance among the      
peoples of the ,americas4    #c4 ,the   
centers of commercial education as      
professional schools1 and as            
institutions of modern culture4    #d4  

,should courses in business ethics be   
included in the curriculum of  the      
advanced classes8 ,morale1 character1   
and culture of students of  commerce and
 of consular service4    #e4 ,universal 
history of commerce as an indispensable 
element in the  training of competent   
consuls4    #f4 ,are screen films       
necessary in giving instruction in      
commerce and  geography8    #g4         
,countinghouse practice4    #h4 ,how    
should commerce be taught8    #i4       
,teaching of languages in the centers of
 commercial education4    #aj4          
,preparation of women for a commercial  
career4    ,among the resolutions       
officially adopted by the congress which
 had  educational bearing were those    
recommending that--    7a7 ,institutes  
or sections of economic expansion in    
faculties  of economic science1 schools1
 and higher centers of economic and     
commercial study be established which   
should devote themselves  especially to 
the study and practical solution of the 

various economic  questions affecting   
inter-,american relations and           
solidarity4    7b7 ,for social and      
economic ends ,american countries create
 and aid  industrial schools for        
fisheries and derived industries4    7c7
 ,propaganda primers be prepared for    
exchange among the public  schools of   
the 7,south7 ,american ,continent4      
7d7 ,there be included in programs of   
higher commercial study courses  of     
comparative ,american economy and       
comparative customs legislation  7the   
latter for consular courses71 and that  
existing seminaries of  economic        
investigation or higher commerce schools
 write the economic  and financial      
history of their respective countries4  
7e7 ,the interchange of professors and  
students between the higher             
institutions of commercial learning be  
initiated4    7f7 ,international        
agreements be concluded for the         
reciprocal  recognition of degrees      
issued by institutions of commercial    

learning  and that scholarships be      
granted for the interchange of students4
    7g7 ,the compilation of legislation 
of ,american countries concerning       
commercial education be intrusted to the
 permanent commission created  by the   
congress4 ,the commission will be       
assisted in this work by a  committee of
 professors and experts in commercial   
education and will  be charged with     
proposing plans and curricula in        
accordance with the  following3         
,commercial instruction1 which          
presupposes primary education1  to be   
divided into three categories--7a7      
,elementary instruction1  which may be  
dependent or independent2 7b7 secondary 
instruction2  7c7 higher instruction4   
,the purpose of these branches is3 7a7  
,to train auxiliaries of commerce2 7b7  
to prepare for commerce in  general2 7c7
 to furnish economic1 financial1 and    
commercial knowledge  preparing for     
directive functions in commerce and     
industry1 insurance  and consular work1 

etc4    7h7 ,preliminary cultural       
studies of two grades be established1   
one  confined to the first and second   
categories of commercial instruction1   
and the second for broader instruction  
in the third category4    7i7 ,the study
 of the proposal of the ,national       
,institute of ,commerce  of ,la ,paz1   
,bolivia1 concerning education of women 
be referred to the  permanent           
commission4    7k7 ,higher institutions 
of commercial education establish1 if   
not  already existing1 in their         
curricula the separation of commercial  
from  economic geography1 the study of  
commercial geography to begin in        
primary schools1 with periodical        
competitions for the preparation of  the
 best commercial and economic           
geographies of each country and the     
exchange of prize works be arranged for4
    7l7 ,institutions of bibliography   
and information be established1         
independent of or annexed to seminaries 
or institutes1 for  investigation       

existing or to be founded in ,america1  
and providing for  the widest exchange  
of economic1 financial1 and commercial  
information  collected4    7m7 ,the     
practice of the professions receiving   
diplomas from higher  institutions of   
commercial learning in commercial1      
civil1 and  administrative matters be   
legally recognized4    7n7 ,an          
extraordinary prize to be known as the  
,pablo ,fontaina ,prize  for ,commercial
 ,studies be offered for students of    
higher institutions  of commercial      
learning4 7,sr4 ,pablo ,fontaina is     
director of the ,superior  ,school of   
,commerce of ,montevideo and played a   
prominent part in the  organization and 
work of the congress47    7o7 ,entrance 
into consular and diplomatic services be
 granted by  competitive examination or 
to candidates presenting degrees issued 
by  official institutions of higher     
commercial learning4    7p7 ,courses of 
ethics in preparatory studies and       
lectures on  commercial ethics in higher

 institutions of commercial learning    
delivered by distinguished professional 
men be established4      ,,training ,,of
 ,,teachers4    ,uruguay has always been
 progressive in this field4 ,in #aiad   
,seorita  ,leonor ,hourticou1 the       
directress of the ,normal ,institute for
 ,girls1  submitted to the national     
inspector of primary instruction a      
far-reaching and systematic plan of     
reform in the aims and methods of       
practice teaching4 ,she urged the       
establishment of a general directorate  
of teachers' practice training1 composed
 of directors of normal  institutes and 
the national technical inspector of     
schools1 which  body was to operate     
through a salaried secretary4 ,practice 
teaching  for the first grade was to be 
required for one year with a minimum of 
#afj sessions and for the second year   
for at least three months with a        
minimum number of #fj sessions4 ,twelve 
schools for practice teaching  were to  
be established at ,montevideo4 ,local   

inspectors were to be  appointed by the 
general directorate4 ,while this scheme 
was not enacted  into law1 yet it had   
very great value in focusing the        
attention of the  educational           
authorities upon the practical problem  
of reorganizing  practice teaching4     
,these recommendations were allowed to  
lapse2 but along with the  demand for   
improved schools went a similar one for 
the improvement of  the schools in towns
 and villages4 ,in #aiaf a committee of 
which the  directress of the ,normal    
,institute for ,girls was chairman was  
appointed  to formulate a training      
course for nonrural teachers which      
should be in  keeping with the          
recognized needs of modern schools4 ,in 
,october1 #aiaf1  it presented as its   
report an outline of studies recommended
 to be  incorporated in the three years'
 training course for primary teachers4  
,taking up for the present only the     
teachers of the first and second        
grades1 the committee recommended the   

following courses3 ,arithmetic1         
accounting1 algebra1 applied geometry1  
penmanship and drawing1  elements of    
biology1 zoology1 botany1 mineralogy and
 geology1 anatomy1  physiology and      
hygiene1 physics and chemistry1 studies 
in industries1  geography and           
cosmography1 history 7national1 ,south  
,american1 and  universal71             
constitutional law1 sociology and       
political economy1  literature and      
composition1 ,french1 philosophy1 and   
pedagogy with  practice teaching4 ,by   
the approval of the executive these     
courses were  to go into effect in      
,september1 #aiag4    ,training of rural
 teachers4--,the movement to improve the
 conditions  of rural life which has    
been mentioned before began in earnest  
in  #aiad4 ,in that year a report based 
upon an intensive study of the  social  
and economic needs of the rural         
districts was presented to the  general 
direction of primary instruction by a   
committee of teachers  especially       

appointed for that purpose4 ,though no  
official action was  taken at the time1 
the ventilation of the subject was very 
opportune  and aroused public interest  
in a field so vital to the welfare of   
the nation4 ,in every phase of rural    
education1 and especially in the        
training of the teachers required1      
practical reforms were recognized  as   
urgently necessary4 ,from the strictly  
pedagogical point of view1  the projects
 for teacher training as laid down in   
that report were of  supreme interest1  
as constituting the basis upon which all
 subsequent  suggestions have rested4   
,they called for the establishment of a 
normal  school exclusively for women    
rural teachers1 which was preferably to 
be located either within the capital    
city or within easy access of it4  ,this
 school was to work along the three main
 lines of agriculture1  horticulture1   
and domestic science4 ,for admission    
there was to be  required1 in addition  
to the usual certificates of mental1    

moral1 and  physical fitness1 the       
certificate of completion of at least   
the third  year of the program of the   
rural schools4    ,the courses were to  
cover at least two years1 preferably    
three1 with  provision for four-year    
courses for pupils aspiring to the post 
of  rural inspectors1 an aspiration     
which was encouraged in the report4     
,only two or three scholarships were to 
be offered in each department1  and the 
number of pupils was to be restricted to
 #ej for the first  year4 ,no purely    
theoretical instruction whatsoever was  
to be allowed4  ,increasingly           
specialized work in the practice school 
annexed was to be  required of every    
pupil each year4 ,for the last two years
 the work of  practice teaching was to  
be so arranged as to alternate by       
semesters  with the classroom work      
assigned4 ,the latter1 toward the end of
 each  semester1 was to review all the  
work from the beginning4    ,the        
projected institute was to be provided  

with all grounds1 buildings1  and       
equipment necessary for the teaching of 
every phase of rural life1  including   
the care of fowls and cattle1 with      
library and laboratories1  with a modern
 gymnasium1 with a hall for the teaching
 of the fine arts1  and1 most important 
of all1 with a mixed practice school    
under the  direction of the authorities 
of the institute1 consisting of at least
  three grades and preferably four4     
,summer courses for teachers1 both men  
and women1 were to be offered1          
emphasizing practical work in all       
courses related to rural life4          
,traveling schools of agriculture were  
outlined to appeal especially  to youths
 of years beyond the rural school age   
and already engaged in  farming1 each   
class to have not less than #h pupils   
and not more than  #ae1 and to continue 
for periods ranging from one week to two
 months  according to the demand in each
 locality4 ,these traveling schools were
  to be organized for the same unit of  

territory as the rural schools  already 
in existence4 ,each course was to be    
arranged in cycles as  follows3 7#a7    
,three years' course in dairying2 7#b7  
four years' course in  domestic science2
 7#c7 three years' course for rural     
teachers1 men and  women4 ,suitable     
certificates were to be awarded students
 satisfactorily  completing these       
courses4    ,as regards the courses in  
rural schools1 the committee found that 
the  advantages accruing did not justify
 instructing pupils below #h years  of  
age in formal agriculture1 satisfactory 
progress being made if the  pupil was   
awakened to a love of nature and an     
interest in the life of  the farm4      
,pupils above #h were to be instructed  
in agricultural courses  progressively  
adapted to their maturity and to the    
peculiar conditions  of locality1 soil1 
and climate4    ,as regards courses in  
domestic science1 though the subject    
does  not permit of a sharp age line of 
cleavage1 yet the youngest girls  might 

most profitably be given the elements1  
while the older girls  might1 in the    
discretion of trained teachers1 take up 
the formal and  technical study of food 
values in connection with elementary    
chemistry1  physiology1 and biology4    
,anticipating the establishment of the  
normal schools for the exclusive        
training of teachers for the projected  
rural schools1 the executive  in        
,november1 #aiag1 sent to the ,congress1
 along with the accompanying  message1  
the project of a law for establishing   
two normal schools of  agriculture in   
the ,departments of ,colonia and ,san   
,jose4 ,these schools  were intended to 
minister to the special need of these   
outlying  departments4 ,their courses   
were to be intensive in character1      
adapted  especially to the training of  
teachers for these localities1 and to   
cover a year4 ,indeed1 the bill         
specifically mentioned their purposes as
  intimately related with the           
forthcoming rural schools4 ,the bill at 

once  became a law1 and the schools were
 to begin operation in ,march1 #aiah4   
,,higher ,,education4    ,in the field  
of university education no changes1     
administrative or  instructional1 are   
recorded for the past biennium2 but     
there has been  a certain amount of     
dissatisfaction with the administrative 
government  of the ,university of       
,montevideo4 ,in ,september1 #aiah1 the 
executive sent  to the ,congress1 along 
with an accompanying message1 the       
project of  a law clearly defining the  
constitution of the directive councils  
of  the several faculties of the        
,university of ,montevideo as           
established  by the laws of #aijh and   
#aiae4 ,contention had arisen as to the 
right  of electing representatives to   
each of these councils4 ,by the new law 
each such council was to have #aj       
members and a dean4 ,in the faculty  of 
law four of these were to be elected by 
the attorneys who were also  professors2
 four attorneys to be selected by those 

neither professors  nor substitutes2 one
 minor attorney by those neither        
professors nor  substitutes2 one student
 delegate by the students themselves4   
,in the faculty of medicine four members
 were to be elected by the  professors1 
substitutes1 and chiefs of clinics and  
laboratories2 three  members to be      
elected by the physicians not embraced  
in the above  categories2 one member to 
be elected by the pharmacists2 and one  
by the  dentists not included in the    
categories above2 one member to be      
elected  by the students of medicine1   
pharmacy1 and dentistry4    ,in the     
faculty of engineering four members were
 to be elected by  the professors and   
substitutes2 three members to be elected
 by the  engineers2 and two by the      
surveyors who were neither professors   
nor  substitutes2 one member to be      
elected by the students of engineering  
and surveying4    ,in the faculty of    
architecture five members were to be    
elected by the  professors and          

substitutes2 four members to be elected 
by architects  who were neither         
professors nor substitutes2 one member  
to be elected  by the students of       
architecture4    ,by decrees of #aiag   
enacted into law1 seven years of        
advanced courses  were required for the 
degree of doctor of medicine and five   
years  for the degree of architect4     
,special courses of one and two years in
  construction and materials1 leading to
 certificates but not to degrees1  were 
formulated and allowed by the ministry  
of public instruction4    ,in pursuance 
of the policy of exchanging professors  
between the various  countries of ,south
 ,america formulated at the ,pan        
,american ,conference  held at ,buenos  
,aires in #aiaj1 special exchange was   
arranged with ,chile  in #aiaf4         
,,education ,,in ,,venezuela4           
,primary education in ,venezuela1 during
 the biennium under  consideration1 has 
enlisted the practical interest of the  
,national  ,government as never before4 

,this has taken shape primarily in the  
two  fundamental administrative decrees 
of the ,provisional ,president1 ,dr4    
,bustillos4 ,the first1 issued in       
,february1 #aiag1 outlines the general  
requirements laid down in the organic   
law of public instruction under  certain
 regulations for primary public schools4
 ,these are divided  into three main    
heads3 7a7 ,the primary elementary      
schools1 in which  only those subjects  
belonging to compulsory primary         
instruction are  taught2 7b7 higher     
primary schools1 in which are taught the
 subjects  belonging to higher primary  
instruction2 7c7 complete primary       
schools1 in which instruction is given  
in both the above divisions at  once4   
,the decree requires that each school be
 equipped with all modern  appliances   
for the physical well-being of the      
pupils4 ,children are not  admitted     
below #g years of age2 only those below 
#g years are admitted  to the mothers'  
schools or the kindergartens2 only those

 above #ad are  admitted to the schools 
for adults4    ,the subjects required in
 the elementary primary schools are3    
,reading1  writing1 and elements of     
,spanish2 elements of arithmetic and the
 metric  system2 rudiments of geography 
and history of ,venezuela2 rudiments of 
ethics and civic instruction2 rudiments 
of behavior and hygiene2 the  national  
hymn and school songs2 the first        
elements of manual arts1 and1  for      
girls1 of sewing4    ,in the higher     
primary schools are taught the          
following3 ,elements of  ,spanish       
grammar1 elementary arithmetic1 metric  
system1 geography and  history of       
,venezuela1 elements of universal       
geography and history1  elementary      
science1 ethical and civic instruction1 
behavior and  elementary hygiene1       
elements of drawing and music1 manual   
arts and  elements of agriculture and   
cattle raising for boys1 sewing and     
domestic economy for girls1 gymnastic   
exercises4    ,religious instruction is 

imparted to pupils whose parents or     
guardians  require it1 provided that the
 number of such be at least #aj4 ,the   
celebration of school festivals as      
required by law1 the establishment  of  
libraries in each school accessible to  
both pupils and teachers1 and  the      
keeping of books and registers by       
teachers and directors are among  the   
general provisions emphasized in the    
regulations4    ,the second decree1     
issued by the ,provisional ,president in
 ,july1 #aiag1  sets forth the          
regulations for the official inspection 
of public  instruction4 ,it expressly   
concerns the following schools3    #a4  
,those maintained or aided by the       
,federal ,union4    #b4 ,those of       
primary1 secondary1 and normal          
instruction1 maintained or  aided by the
 ,states or by the municipalities4      
#c4 ,public and private schools         
satisfying legal requirements of good   
conduct and school hygiene4    ,the     
official inspection of schools has its  

ultimate authority vested in  the       
following grades of functionaries3      
#a4 ,committees 7juntas7 constituted by 
law in localities maintaining a  school4
    #b4 ,technical inspectors of        
primary1 secondary1 and normal          
instruction  for the ,federal ,district 
and the ,states of the ,union4    #c4 ,a
 superintendent for the ,federal        
,district4    #d4 ,inspectors necessary 
for the operation of higher and special 
instruction4    #e4 ,commissioners      
appointed for special educational cases4
    ,the duties and responsibilities    
imposed by law upon the juntas of       
primary instruction are detailed at     
greatest length1 as upon them  rests the
 proper execution of the law and the    
success of the entire  system4 ,most    
important of all these duties are those 
pertaining to the  enforcement of       
compulsory primary instruction4 ,the    
juntas are required  to keep themselves 
informed of the primary instruction     
imparted to all  children of school age 

in their district1 whether in schools   
public or  private or at home2 to       
require all parents and guardians of    
children  of school age to have such    
children instructed as required by law2 
to keep themselves informed of the      
progress of all such children2 to       
impose fines as required by law upon all
 parents or guardians who  neglect the  
instruction of children2 to see that the
 children admitted  to schools of all   
grades conform in age1 state of health1 
etc41 to  the requirements of the law2  
to visit the schools in their district  
frequently and regularly2 and to keep   
registers of all facts pertaining  to   
the attendance upon such schools4       
,the duties and responsibilities of the 
inspectoral juntas of secondary         
instruction and those of normal         
instruction are full and exacting and   
along the lines already laid down4      
,the technical inspectors as a group    
have charge of all three grades  of     
instruction1 each in the district       

assigned to him4 ,as fixed by           
ministerial decree1 there are #aj of    
these1 excluding the superintendent  for
 the ,federal ,district4 ,these         
functionaries are the direct agents  of 
the ministry of public instruction1 and 
form the connecting link  between that  
office and the local juntas4 ,they are  
vested with complete  power to compel   
the execution of the law by the local   
juntas under  penalties prescribed by   
law4 ,they are instructed to work in    
complete  harmony with the juntas1 to   
call meetings1 and to outline to them   
their  duties under the law4 ,they are  
also required to instruct teachers in   
their duties4 ,in short1 the inspectors 
are the element upon which the          
successful working of the machinery of  
the regulations depends4    ,the        
superintendent of public instruction in 
the ,federal ,district is  directly     
under the authority of the minister of  
education4    ,the inspectors of higher 
and special instruction have duties and 

responsibilities analogous to those of  
the inspectors already  mentioned1      
though these1 for obvious reasons1 are  
not outlined at such  length4    ,in the
 field of primary instruction the       
interest aroused in rural  schools has  
been the most marked feature in the past
 biennium4  ,the ministry of public     
instruction has paid special attention  
to  the project of establishing rural   
schools1 fixed or traveling1 in  the    
vicinity of the main manufacturing1     
industrial1 or commercial  centers of   
the country1 and the ,president by      
decree of ,july1 #aiag1  in commending  
the project1 urged upon the juntas      
wherever possible  to develop this type 
of schools4 ,especially in the          
agricultural or  cattle-raising sections
 was the project received with          
enthusiasm1  applying1 as it did1       
directly to the problems of illiteracy  
and the  training of the country        
population in practical subjects related
 to  daily life4 ,by special decree the 

,president urged the introduction  of   
elementary courses in agriculture in the
 established schedule of  studies4      
,among the ,states which definitely     
established such schools the ,state  of 
,trujillo1 fourth in population1 took   
the lead by establishing #ad1  with     
predominant emphasis upon practical     
courses in agriculture and  related     
subjects4 ,such schools began at once to
 serve as centers for  the instruction  
not only of the children of school age  
but of the  population generally in new 
methods1 the use of machines1           
cooperative  societies1 etc4 ,similarly 
in sections devoted to cattle raising   
they  were centers of inspiration and   
instruction in related subjects4        
,during the last biennium the industrial
 plants located in the centers  of      
,venezuela have established primary     
schools for the children of  their      
operatives1 with the approval of the    
authorities1 ,state and  municipal4 ,the
 minister of public instruction1 in his 

memoria for  #aiah1 urge upon the       
,congress the passage of a law          
recognizing the work  of these schools1 
arranging for their inspection by the   
governmental  technical inspectors and  
the classification and certification of 
pupils completing the courses offered in
 them4 ,such schools have also  done    
much in combating the illiteracy among  
adults by means of night  schools1 and  
they have in many places1 by employing  
excellent teachers1  served the very    
useful purpose of raising the standard  
of requirement  in various districts for
 the public schools1 ,state or          
municipal4    ,secondary education in   
,venezuela1 according to the memoria    
referred to1  suffers much from the     
insufficiency and irregularity of the   
revenues  devoted to it1 with the       
consequent inefficient equipment for    
modern and  scientific subjects and the 
inadequate salaries of the teachers4 ,on
 the  pedagogical side the memoria found
 the effects experienced by secondary   

education from the mechanical and memory
 instruction1 too largely  prevalent in 
primary education1 a permanent obstacle 
to any hope of  real reform in secondary
 education4    ,the colegios1 a type of 
secondary school peculiar to the        
,spanish-,american countries1 of grade  
preparatory to the liceos1 seem  to be  
disappearing from ,venezuelan education4
 ,there are now left  only #ac ,federal 
colegios1 all the others maintained by  
the ,states  and municipalities having  
lapsed4 ,the explanation probably lies  
in  the exaggerated theoretical         
instruction they offered and its lack of
  adaptation to the actual needs of the 
nation4 ,a number of them occupied      
buildings of some size and pretension1  
and the minister in his last  memoria   
suggested that the vocational and       
industrial schools needed in  the       
educational system might well be        
installed in these buildings4           
,interest in the education of girls has 
made progress in ,venezuela1  an        

especially promising liceo for girls    
having been established at  ,caracas1   
offering advanced courses covering two  
years1 with special  attention to       
physical training and modern subjects4  
,education in arts and crafts for men   
has long been popular in  ,venezuela1   
perhaps largely because of the national 
talent in those  subjects4 ,the school  
at ,caracas1 established in #aiaf1      
offers a  four-year course1 with        
,english as the only foreign language4  
,within two  years it reached an        
enrollment of #bhh in the regular       
classes and #bac in  the night courses4 
,commercial education and training in   
political science courses have  grown in
 popularity during the last biennium4   
,schools of the former  have been       
established at ,caracas1 ,maracaibo1    
,ciudad ,bolvar1 and ,puerto  ,cabello2 
and of the latter1 at ,caracas1         
subsidized by the ,government  and      
regarded as an important adjunct in     
training for the legal  profession4     

,in the field of the primary normal     
schools1 the ministry has seen the      
necessity of their serving more largely 
the educational needs of the  nation by 
supplying more and better teachers to   
the schools4 ,it is1  therefore1        
proposed to revise them thoroughly1     
especially in regard to  the chief      
defect observed since their             
establishment1 namely1 the poor         
preparation of students who enter4 ,it  
is proposed to offer1 preparatory  to   
the normal school proper1 a perfecting  
course in essentials  covering two or   
three years1 to which would be added    
,french1 drawing1  gymnastics1 and      
music4 ,such a course would preferably  
be offered in  the higher primary       
schools4 ,the pupil should then proceed 
to the  specialized subjects of         
pedagogy1 methodology1 psychology1 and  
the  history of education1 these        
subjects to cover one year4    ,another 
serious problem is the great difficulty 
experienced in securing  suitable       

candidates for the scholarships offered 
in the primary normal  schools by the   
several ,states and ,territories4 ,in   
many of them the  memoria reports that  
the appointments had to lapse in view of
 the  fact that no candidates qualified 
for them4 ,the minister therefore       
suggested that a system of boarding     
departments1 annexed to the normal      
schools1 each accommodating about #bj   
boys of #aj to #ac years1 should be     
established as feeders to the normal    
school system4    ,by presidential      
decree1 dated ,july1 #aiag1 special     
courses in practical  agriculture1      
horticulture1 floriculture1 and domestic
 sciences were  established in the      
primary normal schools1 with the view of
 especially  equipping teachers for the 
rural schools1 whose establishment has  
come  to be regarded as so necessary for
 the nation4    ,by presidential decree 
of ,march1 #aiag1 an experimental       
station  of agriculture and forestry1   
with an acclimatization garden1 was     

established near ,caracas4 ,it is       
intended to serve as a model for other  
such stations in other parts of the     
country4 8,the objects of the  station  
are the improvement of the methods of   
cultivation of the chief  agricultural  
products of ,venezuela2 the             
introduction1 selection1 and            
distribution of seeds2 experiments in   
reforestation2 the suitability of  soils
 to crops and of crops to various       
regions2 and practical work for  the    
training of agricultural foremen and    
forest rangers40          ,transcriber's
 ,notes    ,page #f3 8,quezaltenango0   
changed to 8,quetzaltenango0    ,page   
#ac3 8themselves especialy0 changed to  
8themselves especially0  8educationaly  
advanced0 changed to 8educationally     
advanced0    ,page #ba3 8original       
justfication0 changed to 8original      
justification0 ,a  repeated 8the0 was   
removed4    ,page #bb2 8,the ,goverment0
 changed to 8,the ,government0    ,page 
#bi3 8,artice #a40 changed to 8,article 

#a40    ,page #ca3 ,the original text   
skips from ,article #ai to ,article #bd4
  ,articles #bj-bc appear to have been  
omitted4    ,page #de3 8longest         
posisble0 changed to 8longest possible0 
,page #df3 8several localties0 changed  
to 8several localities0    ,page #di3   
8schools of ,montevido0 changed to      
8schools of ,montevideo0  8hygenic      
considerations0 changed to 8hygienic    
considerations0