Secondary students unions: among regulations and praxis in Formosa (1975-1984)

Abstract

Students unions constitute one of the initial contexts of political participation in Secondary School. Between the decades of 1970 and 1980 in Argentina, these were dealt with from the point of view of regulations, according to the social-historical context. In this way in 1975 -even during the democratic stage- the Students Unions (CES, in Spanish) participation started to be restricted when the creation of new students unions were prohibited. However, from 1976 they were not only restricted and prohibited but also chased (and kidnapped), in this reality we can mention the events known as “Noche de los lápices”, which implied the kidnapping and disappearance of secondary school students from La Plata, who have fought for the benefit of the free student bus ticket. With the return of democracy, the repressive norms that limited the actions of the political-institutional field of secondary school started to be removed, the promotion and education in democratic policies resumed. Secondary Schools bring back and encourage the creation of Students Unions. In this sense the province adheres to and starts the elaboration of their own norms in the subject. However, this was not enough to denaturalize the practices set in the previous historical period from the hidden curriculum and everyday life.