Citizenship Awareness

Involvement and participation in opinion groups

• Group to monitor the Education Funding law
  The Education Funding commitment group is made up of the following civil society organizations: Cáritas Argentina, CIPPEC, Asociación Conciencia, Foro del Sector Social , Fundación Luminis , Fundacion SES and Fundación Ethos that work on those issues related to education, infant and youth rights and citizen awarenessTheir main targets are to generate awareness to informed dialogue and consensus so as to guarantee appropriate education investment with a fair distribution and an efficient use as well. Their activities include networking among the organizations in different provinces to discuss strategies to leverage the quality of education investment.

  The approval of law Nº 26.075 Education Funding in December 2005 set as a target to invest 6% of GDP for Education, Science and Technology. In the Argentine federalist environment, and after the transference of national education in the 90?s, the national jurisdictions and Buenos Aires city fund approximately 75% of the consolidated educational budget, and are directly responsible for the non university education management. So, it is crucial to monitor the ongoing efforts of the provinces to guarantee educational investment as a key to meet the necessary conditions for the right to education.

  In spite of the approval of the law on Education funding, many jurisdictions are still undergoing hardships, a problem sometimes expressed in teacher conflict. Apart from paying attention to the specific needs of the teachers, we deem it necessary to broaden our minds and to show the close link between education funding and education quality and fairness. We do believe that a constructive position calls for support to the teachers, to the national and provincial government and to the society as a whole by means of a clear and concrete analysis of the different variables to meet the objectives set in the Education Funding law.

  The Education Funding Commitment Group proposal:

  1) To work to devise a technical and creative communication tool to provide further elements to budget discussions concerning education in each jurisdiction. The Education Funding Barometer is a new tool which pursues the following:

  • to systematize the indicators of direct political influence on educational funding and to measure evolution on an annual basis in all areas.
  • to spread the results to create consensus on the effort made by the provinces and on the responsibilities taken on, to guarantee the right to education through public funding.

  2) to Inform and communicate on the group action.

  3) To encourage dialogue in the interior of the country around those organizations of the provincial civil society working on educational projects.

• Legal and tax framework group for NGOs
  A workshop with GDFE members, Foro del Sector Social, Poder Ciudadano (Transpaency International Local Chapter),,and specialists. Its main aim is to work together in order to get a legal and taxing framework to develop social investment in our country.
• Education Affinity Group (GAE) www.gdfe.org.ar
  Members of the GDFE that develop the education program
• Solidarity Education of the national Ministry of Education
  Education Solidarity, Solidarity Organizations and Education have been meeting since 2003 after a proposal from the Social Organizations from the educational sector, giving priority to background, national presence and always driven to sharing experiences and strengthening discussion on common issues. (www.me.gov.ar/edusol)
• Debt / Education Exchange Support Group