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Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138) - Paraguay (RATIFICATION: 2004)

The Committee notes the observations of the Central Confederation of Workers (Authentic) (CUT-A), received on 30 August 2019.

Article 2(3) of the Convention. Age of completion of compulsory schooling. In its previous comments, the Committee noted the Government’s efforts to increase the school attendance rate and reduce the school drop-out rate, and encouraged the Government to intensify its efforts to ensure that at least all children under 14 years of age have access to basic compulsory education. The Committee also asked the Government to provide recent statistics on the school attendance rate.

The Committee notes the indication in the Government’s report that according to the 2018 household survey carried out by the Department of Statistics, Surveys and Censuses, the school attendance rate in public schools is 98 per cent for children between 6 and 11 years of age and 94 per cent for children between 12 and 14 years of age.

The Committee also notes the “Open basic education initiative” established by the Ministry of Science and Education. This initiative is for pupils between 12 and 15 years of age, who for reasons of work or long distances between home and school are unable to follow the third cycle of conventional basic education. Courses comprise on-the-spot instruction, together with tutoring and self-instruction modules based on the core competencies that correspond to the level required for completion of basic school education. This initiative benefits 750 pupils in 38 private, subsidized or public schools, in the capital and the departments of Concepción, San Pedro, Guairá, Caaguazú, Itapúa, Alto Paraná, Presidente Hayes, Boquerón and Alto Paraguay.

The Committee also notes the “Occupational initiation in agriculture” programme, which provides theoretical and practical instruction in agriculture to enhance learning for young people, and contributing towards improving family production practices. It is based on cultural, social and economic roots, with the aim of meeting the goals of a school open to the local reality. A total number of 700 institutions and 28,000 students in the third cycle (12–15 years of age) have benefited from this programme.

Furthermore, the Committee notes the Yo leo y escribo National Reading Plan, linked to the Education Action Plan 2018–23. It also notes the actions taken by the Government to extend the programmes under way, such as for school meals and the basket of basic school supplies, scholarship extensions for students, the transfer of financial resources to schools in the context of free school education, and school kits distributed in all subsidized public and private schools. In 2018 a total of 283,263 students enrolled in the central student register were recipients of these programmes. The Committee duly notes the measures taken by the Government to increase the school attendance rate and reduce the school drop-out rate. It requests the Government to pursue its efforts towards this end in primary and secondary education, especially for all children under 14 years of age.