Curricular design for competencies in basic education in Uruguay: Positions and current debates (2008–2019)

ABSTRACT

State Basic Education in Uruguay has always been characterised by universal, homogeneous curricular designs, articulated according to subject matter and academic content. Currently, following international trends, a curricular design based on competencies has been encouraged. This article aims to analyse the main features of the new curricular guidelines in elementary (or primary) school, as well as the main debates around them. Criticisms posted by teachers are examined with a post-critical focus on the curricular field, drawing from analysis of documents and interviews with key stakeholders. The main findings reveal three central points of debate: the structuring core of the curricula, assessment methods and the position of the teacher. Also, a hybrid model of curricular policy for basic education has emerged which has generated conflict amongst teaching communities.

KEYWORDS:

• Competencies
• curriculum
• basic education
• Uruguay

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 All entities and organizations are hereinafter referred to as their acronyms.

2 Uruguay, Parliament, General Education Act n° 18.437, 2008: 24.

3 Provided by section 70 of the General Education Act n° 18.437, 2008 (Uruguay, Parliament, General Education Act n° 18.437, 2008: 30).

4 Uruguay was under the most severe civil-military dictatorship in its history from June 27 1976 to March 1 1985.

5 Past decades of reforms led to the recession starting in 1999 and reaching its peak at the 2002 financial crisis and declaration of a banking holiday. This collapse ‘made it clearly evident that the hyperintegrated society and the State as the shield of the weak had (definitely) fallen behind’ (Caetano 2005, 320).

6 Equivalent to us (academic or technical) junior high school in the Uruguayan national system.

7 Temporary programs funded by World Bank loans: MECAEP (Elementary School Quality Improvement) and MESyFOD (High School and Teacher Training Quality Improvement).

8 The progressive period went from March 2005 to March 2020 in Uruguay.

9 The arrival of the FA meant a shift of political orientation, as the country had always been led by traditional parties (Colorado and Nacional parties [literally Red and National]), both on the right of the political spectrum, yet including a range of factions showing notorious shades. Such change took place in a special regional context known as ‘the progressive shift’ which sought alternatives to neoliberalism (Moreira 2005, 434).

10 Under the provisions of the General Education Act n° 18.437, sections 46, 47 and 48 (Uruguay, Parliament, General Education Act n° 18.437, 2008: 22).

11 President of CODICEN-ANEP during FA’s first term (2005-2010).

12 These disputes led on several occasions to ‘the use of mechanisms of direct democracy, consisting in resorting to people’s approval or disapproval of government acts’ (Moreira 2005, 434).

13 EM: Interview with teachers.

14 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

15 EM-ATD-MP: Interview to members of the ATD Permanent Board.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Eloísa Bordoli

Eloísa Bordoli has a doctorate in social sciences from the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO, Argentina), a master’s in human sciences and a bachelor’s in educational sciences from Universidad de la República (Uruguay). She is professor and researcher in the faculty of educational humanities and sciences of the Universidad de la República. Her current lines of research are policies of educational inclusion and curricular policy.