Political power and indoctrination in schools

Argentina’s schools have repeatedly been used as political platforms, this opinion article argues, with governments seeking to shape children’s loyalties from an early age.

In 2015, the Ministry of Social Development distributed notebooks in public squares bearing Cristina Kirchner’s image. The notebooks invited children to “learn their rights by playing.” The article also points to the use of Paka Paka and Encuentro television channels, as well as selective treatment of historical periods, as examples of what it calls blatant indoctrination.

The author traces the practice further back. Beginning in 1949, Eva Perón’s autobiography, La razón de mi vida, became required reading in primary schools under Juan Domingo Perón’s first presidency. The article says Perón, an admirer of Benito Mussolini, promoted intensive indoctrination to secure the loyalty of future generations.

“

to learn their rights by playing

It argues that universities, primary schools and secondary schools all became spaces where authorities attempted to impose a single discourse and leave little room for dissent. During the Kirchner era, the article says, municipal schools in Avellaneda had children swear allegiance to the flag “for Perón, Evita, Néstor and Cristina.” It also criticizes Formosa Governor Gildo Insfrán and Buenos Aires Governor Axel Kicillof over alleged political indoctrination in provincial schools and through the Jóvenes y Memoria program.

The article says education at every level should respect the freedom of conscience of students and teachers while encouraging critical thought and independence. It also criticizes the former Ministry of Women, Genders and Diversity, closed in 2024, as an example of ideological and partisan use of state structures. The author presents these practices as part of a broader cultural conflict that has deepened division among Argentines.

“

for Perón, Evita, Néstor and Cristina