Parliamentary debates about the formation of secondary education in times of the Argentine Confederation and the «national organization»

We present some findings of an ongoing doctoral thesis that investigates the organization of National Schools (Colegios Nacionales) in Argentina. Although secondary education was able to be institutionalized and sustained since 1863 within the framework of the so-called «national organization», it will be shown that this was a process that was previously developed. An examination of the parliamentary work of the 1850s indicates that discussions about national powers in the organization of these studies were already part of the repertoire of topics by leading groups. Contrasting with the debates of the 1860s, there are differences but also important coincidences between the two periods. Studying the 1850s and its institutional legacy constitutes a renewed look to understand the ways in which the national policies that organized the Argentine educational system were defined.