At the beginning of this year, the Government of the City of Buenos Aires introduced the dual education system in Buenos Aires schools, a model that combines theoretical training with professional practices.
It consists of students in their last year of high school doing internships in companies with a view to familiarizing themselves with a profession or trade that can motivate them when choosing a vocation and entering the labor market. The reaction of the educational community was very curious. Leader of the epic of resistance -with strong overtones of politicization- was a mother who exploded in insults against the head of government, alleging that her daughter, at the end of her secondary studies, was not there to wash dishes or make beds in a hotel. “She sculpts her nails, she is not going to destroy them in a sink,” the woman claimed and her speech was an immediate trend on social networks.
The interesting thing about the example unleashed by the Buenos Aires mayor is that he immediately put into discussion the importance of personal effort, merit and preparation for life. The example of some celebrities shows the hard way towards personal fulfillment. One of Hollywood’s most successful actresses, Halle Berry (Catwoman, X Men), had to live her adolescence in shelters and attend soup kitchens to escape a toxic family environment. But a dramatic art course and her contact with film sets from her youth set her on the path to success.
Stories like these are found, in different magnitudes, everywhere, many of them arising from intra-family violence or conditions of poverty and marginality. Precisely what dual learning seeks is to offer young people a healthier and more complete path to high school graduation, moving in the daily discipline of work, commitment and obligations that form character and stimulate vocations.
In Paraguay, this experience is centered on vocational courses offered jointly by the Ministry of Labor and the Professional Promotion Service, combining trade studies with work in companies. It is an interesting path and with good results.
Perhaps one more step is missing now, incorporating the model into the MEC’s curriculum.
