Education authorities in Buenos Aires have decided to lower the maximum annual absences allowed in high school from 25 to 20, in both public and private schools. The measure affects about 200,000 students and is part of the Buenos Aires Learns Plan to combat absenteeism. The change aims to improve academic performance and reduce school dropout.
In an effort to improve academic performance and reduce absenteeism, education authorities in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (CABA) have resolved to cut the maximum annual absences allowed in high school from 25 to 20, in both public and private schools. This decision, affecting approximately 200,000 students, is part of the Buenos Aires Learns Plan and reconfigures the School Regulations and Academic Regime.
Currently, nine out of ten absences are not properly justified, and the average annual absences per student stand at 27, equivalent to nearly two months out of the classroom. In high school, the absenteeism rate reaches 19.6%, impacting the incorporation of content and the development of educational habits.
Until now, the scheme allowed up to 25 absences per year, with evaluations at the end of each trimester and margins of discretion for teachers that enabled exceptions. Starting this school cycle, the limit drops to 20 annual absences and sets a cap of 5 per trimester. Additionally, exceptions for repeated late arrivals or vacations outside the official calendar are eliminated.
Regularity will be monitored more frequently. If a student loses it, they must recover content in formal instances, such as the winter break or the December to February period. Buenos Aires Chief of Government Jorge Macri commented on Twitter: “When did it become normalized for kids to miss almost two months of school a year and nothing happens? For years, rules were downplayed, and that had consequences: more absenteeism, worse performance, and school dropout. The problem isn't the kids. The problem is having instilled the idea that missing school doesn't matter. That era is over. In the City, we go back to basics: being in school is not optional, and missing has consequences. Period.”
High school represents the educational stage where students exercise greater autonomy, but also where sustained absenteeism can lead to school dropout.
