Escuelas, maestras y territorios. Capacidades estatales y capital humano en Uruguay, 1877-1910

Abstract

This article analyzes the early Uruguayan school expansion in Latin America during the First Globalization.With the school reform of 1877, the Uruguayan school system became highly centralized with a strong staterole in decision-making and the distribution of public funds. Information in the memories of «Dirección deInstrucción Pública», shows the significant growth of the school budget, concentrated in salaries and earlyshaped public education a highly feminized labor sector. Unlike other historical experiences, the public-schoolsupply was concentrated in less prosperous territories while the demand for education in Uruguay was greaterin economics richer regions. Another inequality was found in the type of school establishment. Rural schoolswere the most important in public enrollment, but only allowed to lower levels of education, resulting in relevanteducational inequalities between Montevideo and the rest of territories.