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Students Breed Mussels |
Photo © Andrea Mendez Brandam
Students from Caleta Horno school
Students from Caleta Horno school
by Andrea Mendez Brandam
Students Breed MusselsCamarones is a small town of 1,000 inhabitants in Argentina's Patagonian Chubut province. It used to depend almost entirely on a small state subsidy. As there were few jobs after the demise of the wool industry, the town's youth were disenchanted and saw schooling as a waste of time. Concerned by this, Dario Funes, headmaster of the Caleta Horno school in Camarones, set out to identify a school project that would allow both students and parents to recover their dignity.
In 1999, with his colleague, Daniel Figliuolo, Dario explored the possibilities of breeding mussels in the local coves along the Atlantic coast. The school's production line now has the capacity for 3,000 kg of mussels. Virtually all mussel-breeding tasks are performed by the school's students. They weave nets, seed mussels and even build the mussel bed, which is now the second largest in the country. Argentina's government was so impressed by the project it approved legislation encouraging other schools in the Chubut province to undertake their own production initiatives. Other countries, such as Mexico and Canada, are interested in applying this methodology, which combines education with production. The project's success has led to an increase in the number of new student registrations and also a reduction in absenteeism. Many adults have been inspired to complete their primary studies and embark on further education courses. According to Dario, the students are happy to take part in the project and he says: "the aim is not to sell mussels on a large scale but to bring back the work ethic to a town that had lost hope."
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Caleta Horno School
Emails: colegio721@chubut.rffdc.edu.ar
Students Breed MusselsCamarones is a small town of 1,000 inhabitants in Argentina's Patagonian Chubut province. It used to depend almost entirely on a small state subsidy. As there were few jobs after the demise of the wool industry, the town's youth were disenchanted and saw schooling as a waste of time. Concerned by this, Dario Funes, headmaster of the Caleta Horno school in Camarones, set out to identify a school project that would allow both students and parents to recover their dignity.
In 1999, with his colleague, Daniel Figliuolo, Dario explored the possibilities of breeding mussels in the local coves along the Atlantic coast. The school's production line now has the capacity for 3,000 kg of mussels. Virtually all mussel-breeding tasks are performed by the school's students. They weave nets, seed mussels and even build the mussel bed, which is now the second largest in the country. Argentina's government was so impressed by the project it approved legislation encouraging other schools in the Chubut province to undertake their own production initiatives. Other countries, such as Mexico and Canada, are interested in applying this methodology, which combines education with production. The project's success has led to an increase in the number of new student registrations and also a reduction in absenteeism. Many adults have been inspired to complete their primary studies and embark on further education courses. According to Dario, the students are happy to take part in the project and he says: "the aim is not to sell mussels on a large scale but to bring back the work ethic to a town that had lost hope."
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Caleta Horno School
Emails: colegio721@chubut.rffdc.edu.ar
