This is a symposium of five papers given at the annual conference of the Institute of Ibero-American Studies, held at Catholic University in Washington in May, 1960.
The then Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs, R. R. Rubottom, reported on educational exchange in the Americas. He pointed out that only fifty per cent of the children of elementary school age and only ten per cent of those of secondary school age are actually attending classes in Latin America. One reason, aside from shortages of funds and school buildings, is the scarcity of qualified teachers. Current and past exchanges of teachers must be supplemented with more grants for training in engineering and technology.
Carlos Cueto Fernandini, who directs the division of education of the Pan American Union, in reporting on Peruvian universities, also stressed the need to diversify curricula. Despite a few modern inroads, Peruvian universities still emphasize traditional classics, law, and basic medicine.
Robert D. Barton, director of InterAmerican affairs at the Institute of International Education, reported on political aspects of Inter-American exchange relations. Until approximately forty years ago, Latin American universities took no part in the changing social order. Then in 1918, students in Córdoba, Argentina, agitated for reform, and within a few years other students of Latin America did likewise.
This flareup of independence was encouraged by : the Mexican Revolution, the social democratic ideals of World War I, and the philosophical idealism of such intellectuals as Ortega y Gasset and Unamuno in Spain, Alfredo Palacios in Argentina, and Rodó in Uruguay.
But the National University of Mexico has not kept pace academically with its physical development of a magnificent campus, commented Paul V. Murray, retired president of Mexico City College, in his paper on Mexican higher education.
André Simonpietri, associate director of international relations for the National Academy of Sciences, emphasized that many Latin American universities are ill-equipped to train the scientists so sorely needed. Lack of laboratory facilities forces theoretical instruction to dominate.
Considerable historical and current data on higher education of interest to Latin Americanists is condensed into a few pages, making the brief reading required well worth the effort.
