Ensuring education
In Argentina, 6 out of 10 children live in poverty. Most of them are in the Province of Buenos Aires.
Children are the ones most deeply affected by poverty. Many struggle to access quality education and face limited opportunities for growth and development—reducing their chances of improving their well-being in the future.
In Cuartel V, four additional schools are urgently needed to ensure that every child can access their right to a quality education.
This community, located in the municipality of Moreno, is facing one of the most severe education crises in the Province of Buenos Aires.
Today, many families are forced to send their children to distant schools, traveling long distances each day. This leads to major barriers to learning, high rates of absenteeism, and school dropout.
Challenges in accessing education start in elementary school and become even more severe in high school—especially in the wake of the pandemic. In this neighborhood, the impact is clear: a growing number of teenagers are struggling with basic reading and writing skills.
Education in Cuartel V: The Numbers
Why are we facing an emergency?
* Data compiled from the 2024 Educational Map by poblaciones.org and the 2022 Census. Both datasets are available in the Interactive Map
In Cuartel V, there aren’t enough school spots for the number of children who need access to education. Classrooms are overcrowded, there isn’t enough space for the necessary desks, and many school buildings are in poor condition. On top of that, teachers are working under immense pressure in these challenging environments. All of this makes learning an everyday struggle for children in the neighborhood.
To address these issues, it is essential to uphold the right to education and work hand-in-hand with the community to ensure it becomes a reality.
The Right to Education in Argentina
Law 26.206 on National Education was passed in 2006. It regulates the exercise of the right to teach and to learn, as established in Article 14 of the National Constitution.
Through the Convention on the Rights of the Child, countries commit to upholding children's rights without discrimination. In Argentina, to ensure that everyone has access to school, the country established a public, free, and secular education system. That’s why Article 4 of the National Education Law states:
“The National Government, the Provinces, and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires hold the primary and non-transferable responsibility of providing comprehensive, ongoing, and quality education to all inhabitants of the Nation, ensuring equality, free access, and equity in the exercise of this right, with the participation of social organizations and families.”
But what does this article really mean—and why is it so important? Let’s break it down:
The road to school
At El Arca, we stand for the values behind the right to education and work to raise awareness and encourage community participation to ensure this right is upheld.
For many years, we supported the community of Cuartel V in their call for a new elementary school in the Los Hornos neighborhood. First, we helped bring in modular classrooms so children wouldn’t have to travel long distances just to attend class. Then, in 2021, School No. 84 officially opened its doors.
Since 1986, we’ve worked to promote and protect the rights of children who need it most. In Cuartel V, access to education remains a major challenge for many families.
Your support is essential to help us expand our programs and ensure that every child can access quality education.
