Ola Uruguay Real Estate and Investments

Arriving in Uruguay with kids means lots of decision making for parents. Depending on the age of your kids, education is foremost. So, what kind of school do you choose? Well firstly, you have to decide between the private and the public education system.

Public schools in Uruguay are open to all, regardless of citizenship, and they are free. Considering that the national literacy rate is 97.7%, higher than many developed countries, it is clear that the system works. Indeed, the present system was heavily influenced by a young upstart visionary, José Pedro Varela in the late 19th Century, after he returned from studying the school system in Europe, France in particular.

Children, in their funny lab coat uniforms, complete with big navy bow, go to school for four hours each day, either in the morning or the afternoon. This shortened day means that your child will have time to join a sports club or take part in other recreational activities and increase his or her social circle.

Another big plus to the public system is the recently established Plan Ceibal (for more, click here), which is a program that provides each public school student with a personal portable computer for home and school study. Uruguay is the first country worldwide to embark on such an ambitious program, and as teachers become more savvy with the available resources, the potential grows for more efficiency in the system.

The curriculum includes core subjects of Spanish, math, geography, history (with a great emphasis on Uruguayan history), and science. There is little focus on the arts, and physical education programs do not exist in the public school system.

Discipline issues seem to be rare. When I asked a public school teacher about her classroom management strategies, she told me, “We talk, talk, talk.” Of course, corporal punishment is illegal, and although children may be suspended, there are no detentions, and focus on the positive is evident. Your child’s teacher will greet your child with a kiss and hug each day and do the same when it comes time to go home.

Unfortunately, class sizes can be large. (The law states that after 39 children, a class must have two teachers.) Many schools are “practice” schools where a student in their last year of teaching college is mentored for a full year by a practicing teacher. This means that the enthusiasm of youth is matched with the wisdom of experience and the children benefit. Also, each school is aided by a parent council, and depending on the energy and foresight of the council, the school can be quite dynamic.

Another drawback to the public system is that teachers’ wages are notably low and many teachers work in more than one school, leaving little time for individual attention to struggling students or for helping parents and families adjust to cultural differences. Also, teachers are hired at the central office and then assigned to a school so newly qualified teachers often have to travel a long dstance to their work, which can further add to exhaustion.

Still, if your child is young and the pressuring thoughts of a North American college entrance have not begun to bother you, the public school system may offer much of what you want, and still leave your family with the time and funds to pursue other interests.