Las ramificaciones ultrakirchneristas no tienen límites. Ahora, llegaron al diario The Guardian, en Reino Unido, que ha publicado una nota con un título que parece sugerido, a punta de pistola, por el polémico: Guillermo Moreno:
"En Argentina, la Asignación por Hijo restablece los lazos de las familias con las escuelas".
Increíblemente, los militantes de La Cámpora, disfrazados de fanáticos de Paul Mc Cartney, habrían copado las oficinas del prestigioso diario británico, y mediante engañosas maniobras administrativas (que están siendo investigados por enviados especiales) se habrían apropiado de la conducción del medio.
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A continuación, publicamos la nota completa con algunos párrafos salientes traducidos por nuestros investigadores...
Conditional cash payments to poor families with children in Argentina "have had a very positive impact", says an enthusiastic Graciela Dulcich, the principal of a primary school in a poor neighbourhood on the outskirts of Buenos Aires.
"Once the kids are enrolled in school, the responsibility is ours, and if they miss class for more than three days, we have to move heaven and earth to find out what's going on, and to make them start coming again," she explained.
For the past 35 years, Dulcich has worked in public schools in low-income neighbourhoods on the outskirts of the capital, such as school number 34, which she currently heads in San Isidro, a Buenos Aires district marked by strong social contrasts.
In late 2009, the centre-left government of Cristina Fernández introduced the Universal Child Allowance (AUH), which now grants 220 pesos ($53) a month for each child under 18, up to a maximum of five, to parents who are unemployed or work in the informal sector of the economy.
In the case of disabled children, the monthly allowance is four times that. The AUH was later expanded to the children of domestics, pregnant women, and low-earning members of co-operatives.
The cash transfer, which is now received by the families of more than 3.6 million children and adolescents, is conditional on school attendance and keeping up to date on vaccines and health checkups.
Independent studies show that the AUH has led to a drastic – between 55% and 70% – reduction in extreme poverty, as well as a less significant drop in the levels of poverty and inequality.
But the impact has not only been felt by the families who have been helped out of poverty thanks to the monthly cash payment that tops off the income they are able to make by working. The effects have also been felt in schools, especially at the primary level, where the AUH has led to a big jump in enrolment.
And, according to Dulcich, "once the school got the kids to come in, it won them back – in other words, even if they skip school one week out of three, they are in the system, and are followed up on.
"We do all sorts of things to get them to attend class," from cheering and applauding every day for the ones who show up, to phoning or even visiting the homes of the children who miss class, the principal said.
She explained that the education ministry requires monthly reports on attendance. "If I report to the ministry that there are kids who have dropped out, or that many have repeated the year, they reprimand me and ask for detailed reports. This is the pressure we face, which is why everything possible must be done to make sure the kids come to class," Dulcich said.
La directora explica que el Ministerio de Educación exige informes mensuales de asistencia. "Si el informe entregado al Ministerio muestra que hay niños que han abandonado, o que han repetido el año, enfrentamos reprimendas y pedidos de informes detallados. Esta es la presión que tenemos, por eso debe hacerse todo lo posible para que los niños asistan a clases”.
Primary schools can also refer children to psychologists or social workers, and offer the families guidance on medical or dental questions, as well as advice on different problems.
With regard to the families of children who habitually miss class, and "who do not have a culture of regular school attendance", a bigger effort is made in terms of following up on their situation, Dulcich explained. Many of these families make a living by sorting garbage on the street for sellable recyclable materials like paper and cardboard – they are known as "cartoneros" in Argentina – work that the children often do alongside their parents.
"But for the mothers who never give up, the ones who ask us if they can give the address and phone number of the school as a reference when they go to look for a job, the AUH is highly appreciated," she said.
These women, she said, "now send their children to school with all the necessary supplies, and they come in to say their child lost his red pencil, for example – an attitude that was unthinkable in the past. The families now feel less marginalised, and they even make regular voluntary payments" to the parents' association, known as the "cooperadora" in Argentina.
In the country's public schools, the association collects money from the students' parents to make necessary repairs and buy materials when the school budget falls short.
Challenges in secondary school
But at the secondary level, it has been more difficult to achieve steady attendance by means of the AUH payments. Although the allowance has helped reduce poverty, which in itself favours a learning environment, the challenges are more complex.
Jessica Malegarie, of the Fundación Cimientos (the Foundation for Equal Educational Opportunities), which works with teenagers, said the AUH "helps but does not solve" problems in secondary school, where drop-out and repetition rates remain high.
The foundation provides a stipend of 185 pesos ($45) a month to 3,050 youngsters throughout the country to help them stay in school. This assistance is not incompatible with the AUH, which is in fact received by the families of half of the foundation's beneficiaries.
However, the structure of secondary school, where there are different teachers for each subject, who teach in more than one school, means there is a less personalised relationship with each student. This and other factors weaken regular attendance, Malegarie said. Drop-out rates in secondary school are two to three times as high as at the primary level.
Malegarie, the foundation's programmes director, said the AUH "has been a very positive thing, because it has cut the rates of poverty and need, while putting the question of education on the public agenda, by requiring attendance".
She also acknowledged that it has led to a rise in enrolment. But she stressed that in order to keep adolescents in school, "a commitment by the youngster and the family must be achieved, and by the school, which must work closely with them".
Secondary school "was thought up for another kind of student, with different socioeconomic and cultural characteristics" than the ones seen in many areas today, she said, adding that tutoring programmes are needed, and that teachers should spend more time in the schools.
IPS spoke to one woman who is facing this problem: her 15-year-old son wants to drop out of school. His mother, a domestic worker, is worried about losing the monthly AUH payments, but has been unable to convince him to continue going to class. "I told him that if he doesn't keep studying, he'll have to go out and work, but I'm getting nowhere with him," said the mother, who preferred to remain anonymous.
Parents receive 80% of the AUH every month. The rest is retained until the start of the school year in March, when the parent or legal guardian presents the school attendance certificates and vaccination records and receives the accumulated amount.
"That control," said Dulcich, "is just once a year, but they supervise us every month to see what's going on with the children who are enrolled. That's why, in my view, this is without a doubt very positive – not only with respect to the future, but in the present as well."
"Once the family 'discovers' school, which helps them solve a number of problems and provides support, they don't leave any more. Because things aren't like they used to be – the schools now fulfil many social functions," the principal said.
- Los subsidios a las familias necesitadas con hijos, en Argentina, "ha tenido un impacto positivo", dijo estusiasmada Graciela Dulcich, la directora de una escuela primaria en un barrio humilde, en las afueras de Buenos Aires.
"Once the kids are enrolled in school, the responsibility is ours, and if they miss class for more than three days, we have to move heaven and earth to find out what's going on, and to make them start coming again," she explained.
- "Una vez que los niños están matriculados en la escuela, la responsabilidad es nuestra, y si faltan a clases por más de tres días, tenemos que mover cielo y tierra para averiguar lo que está pasando, y para que empiecen a venir otra vez", explicó.
For the past 35 years, Dulcich has worked in public schools in low-income neighbourhoods on the outskirts of the capital, such as school number 34, which she currently heads in San Isidro, a Buenos Aires district marked by strong social contrasts.
- Durante los últimos 35 años, Dulcich ha trabajado en escuelas públicas en barrios de bajos ingresos en las afueras de la Capital, tales como la escuela número 34, que actualmente dirige, en San Isidro, un barrio de Buenos Aires marcado por fuertes contrastes sociales.
In late 2009, the centre-left government of Cristina Fernández introduced the Universal Child Allowance (AUH), which now grants 220 pesos ($53) a month for each child under 18, up to a maximum of five, to parents who are unemployed or work in the informal sector of the economy.
- A fines del 2009, el gobierno de centro izquierda de Cristina Fernández introdujo la AUH que garantiza 220 pesos (53 dólares) por mespara cada chico menor de 18 años, hasta un máximo de 5 hijos, de padres desempleados o trabajadores informales.
In the case of disabled children, the monthly allowance is four times that. The AUH was later expanded to the children of domestics, pregnant women, and low-earning members of co-operatives.
- En el caso de los niños con discapacidad, la asignación mensual es de cuatro veces esa cantidad. La AUH se amplió posteriormente a los hijos de empleadas domésticas, las mujeres embarazadas, y a miembros de cooperativas de bajos ingresos.
The cash transfer, which is now received by the families of more than 3.6 million children and adolescents, is conditional on school attendance and keeping up to date on vaccines and health checkups.
- El subsidio es recibido por las familias de mas de 3.6 millones de chicos y adolescentes, a condición de la asistencia a la escuela y certificados de vacunación y chequeos médicos.
Independent studies show that the AUH has led to a drastic – between 55% and 70% – reduction in extreme poverty, as well as a less significant drop in the levels of poverty and inequality.
- Estudios independientes muestran que la AUH ha llevado a una drástica - entre 55% y 70% - reducción de la pobreza extrema, así como un descenso significativo en los niveles de pobreza y desigualdad.
But the impact has not only been felt by the families who have been helped out of poverty thanks to the monthly cash payment that tops off the income they are able to make by working. The effects have also been felt in schools, especially at the primary level, where the AUH has led to a big jump in enrolment.
- Pero el impacto no ha sido sentido sólo en las familias, gracias al subsidio mensual sino en las escuelas, especialmente en las primarias, donde la AUH ha producido un incremento en la matrícula.
And, according to Dulcich, "once the school got the kids to come in, it won them back – in other words, even if they skip school one week out of three, they are in the system, and are followed up on.
"We do all sorts of things to get them to attend class," from cheering and applauding every day for the ones who show up, to phoning or even visiting the homes of the children who miss class, the principal said.
- "Hacemos todo tipo de cosas para que continúen asistiendo a clase", desde vitorear y aplaudir todos los días a cada uno de los que asiste, hasta llamar por teléfono o incluso visitar las casas de los niños que faltan a clase, cuenta la directora.
She explained that the education ministry requires monthly reports on attendance. "If I report to the ministry that there are kids who have dropped out, or that many have repeated the year, they reprimand me and ask for detailed reports. This is the pressure we face, which is why everything possible must be done to make sure the kids come to class," Dulcich said.
La directora explica que el Ministerio de Educación exige informes mensuales de asistencia. "Si el informe entregado al Ministerio muestra que hay niños que han abandonado, o que han repetido el año, enfrentamos reprimendas y pedidos de informes detallados. Esta es la presión que tenemos, por eso debe hacerse todo lo posible para que los niños asistan a clases”.
Primary schools can also refer children to psychologists or social workers, and offer the families guidance on medical or dental questions, as well as advice on different problems.
With regard to the families of children who habitually miss class, and "who do not have a culture of regular school attendance", a bigger effort is made in terms of following up on their situation, Dulcich explained. Many of these families make a living by sorting garbage on the street for sellable recyclable materials like paper and cardboard – they are known as "cartoneros" in Argentina – work that the children often do alongside their parents.
- En lo que respecta a las familias de los niños que habitualmente faltan a clases, y "que no tienen una cultura de asistencia a la escuela regular", se hace un esfuerzo más grande en términos del seguimiento de su situación, explica Dulcich. Muchas de estas familias se ganan la vida clasificando basura en la calle para vender materiales reciclables como papel y cartón - son conocidos como "cartoneros" en Argentina – y los niños deben trabajar junto a sus padres.
"But for the mothers who never give up, the ones who ask us if they can give the address and phone number of the school as a reference when they go to look for a job, the AUH is highly appreciated," she said.
- "Las madres que nunca se rinden, son aquellas que preguntaron si podían dar la dirección y el teléfono de la escuela cuando van en busca de trabajo, ya que la AUH es altamente apreciada".
These women, she said, "now send their children to school with all the necessary supplies, and they come in to say their child lost his red pencil, for example – an attitude that was unthinkable in the past. The families now feel less marginalised, and they even make regular voluntary payments" to the parents' association, known as the "cooperadora" in Argentina.
- Esas mujeres ahora mandan a sus hijos con todos los útiles necesarios. Las familias ahora se sienten menos marginadas, y hacen aportes regulares en la cooperadora del colegio.
In the country's public schools, the association collects money from the students' parents to make necessary repairs and buy materials when the school budget falls short.
Challenges in secondary school
But at the secondary level, it has been more difficult to achieve steady attendance by means of the AUH payments. Although the allowance has helped reduce poverty, which in itself favours a learning environment, the challenges are more complex.
Jessica Malegarie, of the Fundación Cimientos (the Foundation for Equal Educational Opportunities), which works with teenagers, said the AUH "helps but does not solve" problems in secondary school, where drop-out and repetition rates remain high.
- Jessica Malegarie, de la Fundación Cimientos, y que trabaja con adolescentes, dijo que la AUH ayuda pero no resuel los problemas de la escuela secundaria y el grado de repitencia permanece alto.
The foundation provides a stipend of 185 pesos ($45) a month to 3,050 youngsters throughout the country to help them stay in school. This assistance is not incompatible with the AUH, which is in fact received by the families of half of the foundation's beneficiaries.
However, the structure of secondary school, where there are different teachers for each subject, who teach in more than one school, means there is a less personalised relationship with each student. This and other factors weaken regular attendance, Malegarie said. Drop-out rates in secondary school are two to three times as high as at the primary level.
- Sin embargo, la estructura de la escuela secundaria, donde hay maestros diferentes para cada materia, que enseñan en más de una escuela, significa que hay una relación menos personalizada con cada estudiante. Este y otros factores debilitan la asistencia regular, según Malegarie. La tasa de deserción en la escuela secundaria es de dos a tres veces la registrada en el nivel primario.
Malegarie, the foundation's programmes director, said the AUH "has been a very positive thing, because it has cut the rates of poverty and need, while putting the question of education on the public agenda, by requiring attendance".
- La AUH ha sido una cosa muy positiva porque ha cortado de pobreza y necesidades, mientras puso el tema de la educación en la agenda pública.
She also acknowledged that it has led to a rise in enrolment. But she stressed that in order to keep adolescents in school, "a commitment by the youngster and the family must be achieved, and by the school, which must work closely with them".
- También reconoce que se ha registrado un aumento en la matrícula. Sin embargo, destaca que para mantener a los adolescentes en la escuela "se debe alcanzar un compromiso por parte del joven, la familia y la institución escolar, que debe trabajar en estrecha colaboración con ellos".
Secondary school "was thought up for another kind of student, with different socioeconomic and cultural characteristics" than the ones seen in many areas today, she said, adding that tutoring programmes are needed, and that teachers should spend more time in the schools.
IPS spoke to one woman who is facing this problem: her 15-year-old son wants to drop out of school. His mother, a domestic worker, is worried about losing the monthly AUH payments, but has been unable to convince him to continue going to class. "I told him that if he doesn't keep studying, he'll have to go out and work, but I'm getting nowhere with him," said the mother, who preferred to remain anonymous.
- Inter Press Service pudo hablar con una mujer que se enfrenta a este problema: con 15 años de edad, su hijo quiere abandonar la escuela. Su madre, una trabajadora doméstica, está preocupada por la pérdida de los pagos mensuales AUH, pero no ha sido capaz de convencerlo de seguir yendo a clase. "Yo le dije que si no seguir estudiando, tendrá que salir a trabajar, pero no logro llegar a él", relata la madre, que prefirió mantener el anonimato.
Parents receive 80% of the AUH every month. The rest is retained until the start of the school year in March, when the parent or legal guardian presents the school attendance certificates and vaccination records and receives the accumulated amount.
- Los padres reciben el 80% de la AUH cada mes. El resto es retenido hasta el inicio del año escolar siguiente, en marzo, cuando los padres presentan el certificado de asistencia y vacunación, y así reciben el monto acumulado.
"That control," said Dulcich, "is just once a year, but they supervise us every month to see what's going on with the children who are enrolled. That's why, in my view, this is without a doubt very positive – not only with respect to the future, but in the present as well."
- "Ese control", declaró Dulcich, "es sólo una vez al año, pero nos supervisan cada mes para ver lo que está pasando con los niños que están inscriptos. Es por eso que, en mi opinión, esto es, sin duda, muy positivo -. No sólo con respecto al futuro, sino también en la actualidad".
"Once the family 'discovers' school, which helps them solve a number of problems and provides support, they don't leave any more. Because things aren't like they used to be – the schools now fulfil many social functions," the principal said.
- "Una vez que la familia 'descubre' la escuela, que les ayuda a resolver una serie de problemas y proporciona apoyo, ya no la abandona. Las cosas no son como solían ser, las escuelas de hoy cumplen muchas funciones sociales," comentó la directora.
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Ya sucedió con The New York Times, y ahora con The Guardian. ¿Llegará el aluvión setentista a copar Clarín y La Nación, para acabar así, en manos del Peronismo estatizante?
Si eso ocurriera, los argentinos derechos y humanos deberíamos darle el certificado de defunción a la prensa independiente, y sacar el pasaporte express que ofrece el ministro Randazzo... pero, ¿para ir adónde?
Daniel Mancuso
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