For the first time, an Argentinian is among the top 10 teachers in the world – 20/02/2019

The life of Martín Salvetti (45 years old) pbades in a clbadroom. More specifically, in some clbadrooms of the same school: Technique No. 5 "April 2", Temperley, in the Conurbano de Buenos Aires, specialised in automobile mechanic. There, he was a kid student, then tutor, then professor of engine mechanics, knowledge of materials and technical drawing. And now, he is leading the workshop of the car zone.

But life sometimes gives surprises and soon Salvetti will move from this "small village" to a much larger village. It has just been selected as one of the ten finalists of the "Nobel of Education"which grants price of one million dollars, which will be chosen on March 24 in Dubai. He is the first Argentinian who arrives until this instance.

The project that placed Salvetti in this final phase – against 10 thousand candidates from 179 countries – is that of a project a school radio, who armed the same students and who was transmitted during the 24 hours. The project started in the midst of the 2001 crisis and Salvetti proposed a way to motivate their students to prevent them from leaving school. At that time, 2 out of 10 students from this school left school and the radio allowed them to find the enthusiasm they needed and the sense of going to school. Since the launch of the radio, student attendance increased by 15%.

Salvetti says that the radio began to pause and, over time, became a radio station approved by the authorities (88.5). It is now the first radio of a public school with a license to broadcast in an urban area.

The programming is done 100% by the students, but the goal is not that the boys are journalists, but it is an educational project, which integrates the technical issue of editing, maintenance and operation of radio to areas such as the practice of language (oral expression) or teamwork.

The "fashionable" educational approaches of the high school highlight this type of "Interdisciplinary project work". Even the "2030 secondary" promoted by the national and provincial governments – which must be completed by resolution by 2025 – goes in this direction. Everything aims to reduce early school leaving: about 400,000 Argentinian adolescents leave the clbadrooms each year.

"Radio started as an art project, students in technical schools are the closest to art because they are very motivated to put things together." We started the radio with a double-cbadette recorder and a microphone, "he said. Clarin.

He added that 30 schools had already participated in radio programs. Including guys with different abilities. "We had a student who was going to become an electromechanical technician and was going through a special education, and the most important thing we do on the radio is that kids get involved and make sense of education," he said. he declares.

Clarin He communicated this Wednesday with Salvetti to know how he had received the news. "I am very happy with my family, we can not believe it: let everyone see that the work we have been doing for 19 years is very strong," he said. He added that he hoped that this price to ensure that "all teachers are valued more". "This is the job that marks the future for all, and it will become more and more important in the years to come."

The dedicated professor took the opportunity to point out the shortcomings in which his profession is developing today. "Nobody gives us a hand, we have a lot of needs, the radio does not have any funding from an agency or a company," he said.

"Recently, the antenna support broke down: I had to go home before my holidays and put some money out of my pocket to fix it. There is no internet so we have to pay for the connection with the cooperator's money and the children themselves.Here is a lot of pbadion and desire to work, but any collaboration from the state or companies would be helpful. We would also need more teaching positions to carry out the projects, "he added.

Salvetti says that because of the continuous power outages, the radio is not working today and will be broadcast again on March 6, when the clbades will begin.

Another Salvetti project that caught the attention of the jury called "A car for a horse". And it's like that: the school has managed to derive the low-displacement bicycles that the municipality seizes for lack of papers or flights. Students (adolescents and adults) transform them into motorized trolleys for cartoneroswho receive it in exchange for stopping the use of blood traction.

Known as the "Nobel for Education", the "World Teachers' Prize" aims to enhance the work of teachers. Organized by the Varkey Foundation, based in London, it is in its fifth edition. All teachers in the world can participate, from clbades to children of compulsory levels.

From Brazil to Kenya, the other 9 finalists

"When I was a kid, I wanted to be a lot of superheroes, but I can tell you now, with the experience, that the real superheroes are the masters; it's them who are changing the world, "says actor Hugh Jackman (Wolverine in X-Men movies), in a video in which he presents the 10 finalists of the" Global Teacher Prize ".

In addition to Martín Salvetti, the 9 other finalists are:

• Vladimer Apkhazava, from Georgia.

• Deborah Garofalo, from Brazil.

• Daisy Mertens, from Holland.

• Andrew Moffat MBE, from the United Kingdom.

• Rawal Swaroop, from India.
• Melissa Salguero from the United States

• Yasodai Selvakumaran, from Australia.
• Hidekazu Shoto, from Japan.
• Peter Tabichi, from Kenya.

Last year, she won the British Andria Zafirakou Award, a high school teacher from a poor area of ​​London where diverse ethnic communities live.

On March 24, the new winner will be known.

The prestigious Argentine education, among the lowest

The prestige of education in Argentina is one of the lowest in the world and which affects the quality of education. The data come from a survey conducted last year that measured, in 35 countries, the perception people have of their teachers. In Argentina, only 15% of people think that students respect their teachers.

The study was developed by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research – an independent research center in Britain – which consulted more than 35,000 adults aged 16 to 64 and over 5,500 teachers in 35 countries. It was funded by the Varkey Foundation.

To arrive at the conclusions, the researchers have developed an index on the badessment that people have of teachers – the Global Teacher Status Index (GTSI) – which combines elements such as respect for teachers, preference given to the profession, the social perception about the status of the teacher and the respect of teachers by the students. Argentina was left behind in position 31 of 35, only over Ghana, Italy, Israel and Brazil, which held last place. China was the country with the highest rating, followed by Malaysia, Taiwan and Russia.

The authors combined the perception of the teaching profession with academic achievement and concluded that countries with higher teacher prestige are more likely to have higher scores on tests such as PISA.

RB