The Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero, within the framework of its Postgraduate Programme in Education Policy and Administration, has for a number of years been researching and developing the planning and management of technology, with the aim of contributing to the training of technical teams and professionals in the field of education and education development. A computer simulation model was developed for the education system of the province of La Pampa. It was designed in light of the social, educational and economic context of the province as a tool for planning, policy-making and policy management. The project received USD20,000 in funding from UNESCO Division of Policy and Education Strategies of UNESCO and the university. The project received institutional support of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the Ministry of Education of La Pampa. Simulation exercises allow the impact of education policies to be foreseen before the policies are implemented and to assess whether planning, teaching media and resources match the aims of the institution. The aim is for the simulation model to be relevant to the complex reality of Argentina.
In Argentina, simulation models as a tool for planning education policy are not particularly well established, although the characteristics of the Argentinian education system would suggest that implementing planning systems of this type might be worthwhile.
The education system in Argentina is decentralised, so each province defines its own needs and the actions that should be carried out to meet these needs. The system is currently undergoing significant changes, such as a reduction in public investment in education and educational reform at the provincial level.
Simulation models for public policy can aid public decision-making in the pursuit of a more efficient and equitable system. They allow changes in educational demand to be detected and can also be used to assess the impact of education policies before they are implemented and to interpret the results of decision-making.
Systematising decision-making processes facilitates the participation of society and organisations (professional associations, community organisations, parents' associations, etc.) in the discussion of both sectoral and institutional policies.To develop education policy simulation tools that are appropriate to the education system in Argentina.
The main objectives are as follows:
To promote their use in national, provincial and institutional planning and research structures through the transfer and provision of services to third parties.
To train technical and professional teams in the area of public administration.
To encourage, in the medium term, the use of decision-making support tools at government and management levels within an institution.
In 2000, with the support of French development cooperation, the Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero organised a seminar on simulation models for analysing education policies. The seminar was attended by students on the aforementioned postgraduate course as well as Argentinian professionals working in the area of education planning and administration, including several graduates of the annual programme organised by the International Institute for Education Planning (Instituto Internacional de Planeamiento de la Educación, IIPE) in conjunction with UNESCO France. This was followed in 2003 by a project devoted to adapting simulation models developed by UNESCO to Argentina.
The choice of the province of La Pampa was based on criteria that ensured that the Project would be viable and have potential applications in other areas. The province's political and educational problems were representative of the national reality; it remained firm in its implementation of the national education reform; it had an updated information system on quality in education; it fostered budgeting methods that accurately reflected how funds were distributed; it maintained institutional stability by drawing on recognised teams of specialists; and it showed an active interest in developing a simulation model for its education system.
The programme was developed by the work time on technical planning and education management of the university and civil servants and lecturers from the Ministry of Education of the province of La Pampa. The aim of this collaboration is to adapt EPSSim, a generic simulation model developed by UNESCO, to the specific needs and main problems in education in the province of La Pampa.
The main actions carried out were:
A conceptual simulation model was developed.
The education system of La Pampa was described and analysed. In particular:
The characteristics of the information available were described.
The main problems were detected.
The education policy lines of the province were analysed.
A computer simulation model was developed that was appropriate to the reality of the education system and policy lines of the province.
Two national seminars were organised on the subject. Participants included civil servants from the education planning departments of the ministries/secretariats in the province; academics; researchers and members of the UNESCO Division of Educational Policies and Strategies (France).
A workshop on technology transfer and capacity-building related to the model was held for civil servants and lecturers working in the province. The workshop was organised by the University's research team and UNESCO experts and consultants.
Members of the University participated in international seminars on the subject (Buenos Aires, Costa Rica, Honduras and France).
This simulation tool is the first to have been developed in Latin America for the education sector. Because of this, UNESCO requested that the experience gained be disseminated at the international seminar held in Paris and at a regional seminar held in San José, Costa Rica. As a result of these seminars, Honduras requested the University's technical cooperation in developing the model for that country.
At the level of the province of La Pampa, the project created channels for the participation of the various actors involved in the process of defining, executing and monitoring policies and in education planning and management.
The main results of the project are
The development of a computer model for simulating policies adapted to an educational model.
The transfer of computer tools to the Ministry of Education and civil servants at other provincial ministries.
The creation of a national interest group on the subject.
The translation into Spanish and publication of a book by Radi and Chang entitled Modelos de simulación de políticas educativas, EDUNTREF, 2003. The project is described in this book.
The publication of a book by Fernández Lamarra, Jallade and Chang entitled Política, planeamiento y gestión de la educación. Modelos de simulación en Argentina (Education Policy, Planning and Management: Simulation Models in Argentina), 2006.
Finally, the work group on education planning and management technologies believes that the experience of the Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero will help to promote:
Research into and the development of computer tools for simulating education policy that are appropriate to the education system in Argentina and Latin America.
The use of these tools in national, provincial and institutional planning and research structures through the transfer and provision of services to third parties.
The training of technical and professional teams working in the education sector in the design and use of computer simulation models.
The dissemination of specific experiences in the design and use of simulation models.
The improvement of knowledge, methods and design tools for educational planning.
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