The government of **Entre Ríos**, led by **Rogelio Frigerio (PRO)**, announced its intention to **close around 300 rural schools** due to low enrollment.
The **Coordinadora Basta es Basta** expressed its rejection through a statement, describing the measure as “**a new blow to rural communities**, already affected by **state abandonment** and the advance of the **agro-export model** that displaces families from the countryside”.
“Every student has the right to an education”: voices from the territory
From the **General Council of Education (CGE)**, official **Sebastián Benedetti** justified the closures for reasons of “**pedagogical efficiency**”, pointing out that there are schools with **only one to three students**. However, **Elio Kohan**, a teacher and spokesperson for Basta es Basta, argues that “**low enrollment does not invalidate the right to education**”, and that rural schools must be maintained as **spaces for community gatherings and resistance**.
In the **Basavilbaso** area, teacher **Mariela Leiva** warns that **twelve schools are at risk of closure**, and denounces the **impact of nearby fumigations**, authorized by the **Good Agricultural Practices Law**, which allows for the application of **agrochemicals just 15 meters from the classrooms**. “**We are facing a direct violation of the right to education in a healthy environment**,” she asserts.
Fumigations, monoculture, and rural depopulation
The Coordinadora Basta es Basta points out that **rural depopulation** is due to multiple factors: massive fumigations, land concentration, displacement of family agriculture, and **water and soil contamination**.
In areas like **Concordia**, spokesperson **Facundo Scattone Moulins** describes a process of “**expulsion based on poisons**”, where the intensive use of **soy and rice** displaces **rural workers**, overshadowed by the technological advancement of the production model.
Health risks and judicialization of fumigations
The **health camps of the Institute of Socio-Environmental Health** (University of Rosario) have shown that living near fumigated areas **increases the risk of cancer**. Kohan, from **Colonia Avigdor**, denounces that “**these are not just statistics, they are neighbors and friends who have become ill or passed away**”.
In 2018, the **Superior Court of Entre Ríos** established **minimum distances of 1,000 to 3,000 meters** for fumigations near schools, declaring unconstitutional a resolution that allowed chemicals to be applied just 50 meters away.
A law criticized for ignoring scientific evidence
Despite the judicial ruling, in 2024 the **Law of Good Practices in Phytosanitary Matters** was enacted, allowing fumigations between **15 and 500 meters** from schools, depending on the type of application.
The law requires fumigations to be carried out during **non-school hours** and under the supervision of a **phytosanitary advisor**, but **ignores studies on toxic drift**, as organizations denounce. “**The only good agricultural practice is agroecology**,” Kohan summarizes.
Rural education: a bastion of roots and denunciation
“**Rural schools are much more than classrooms: they are spaces for gathering, denouncing, and community building**,” asserts Kohan. Scattone adds that they are “**the place where mothers, teachers, and workers dare to shed light on what is happening**”.
However, the emptying is not new: in 2007, the provincial government **sold 70 hectares of Agricultural School No. 151** to the **Etchevehere family**, linked to agribusiness. In 2017, another **29 hectares** were allocated for projects that were never completed.
*With information from Agencia Tierra Viva – Cover photo by: Mariela Leiva*
