Public primary education in the National Territories:

challenges, modalities and adaptive responses (Argentina 1900-1916)

Abstract

The process of schooling for children in Argentina’s National Territories at the beginning of the 20th century reveals signs of limited administrative reach on the part of the national government, aligning with recent research that points to a considerable degree of autonomy in these regions from the centralized model. The review of official documents produced by the agencies responsible for public education and territorial administration shows the active participation of inspectors as intermediaries between the national State, central regulations, and local needs. Aiming to contribute to the study of the expansion of primary education in the National Territories, this article argues that the material and social conditions of those regions—along with the limited capacity of the central government to exercise full control—may have facilitated the involvement of various actors in the implementation of educational policies. In this context, it analyzes the development of two school modalities: the tutorial system (boarding schools) and itinerant schools, based on a methodological approach that combines qualitative and quantitative tools.