Argentina Promotes Improvements in Comprehensive Literacy with IDB Support

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has approved a $300 million loan to support early literacy in Argentina. It is the first individual operation of a conditional credit line for investment projects to support the improvement of comprehensive literacy in the country for up to $1 billion.

The program aims to improve teaching of reading skills in basic education by training 390,000 teachers for reading instruction, among other initiatives.

The operation will finance the maintenance and expansion of the number of public primary schools that incorporate additional time for teaching reading skills.

Despite the high level of participation in the educational system, not all students acquire the necessary skills in their educational journey. Learning difficulties are linked to the limited development of foundational skills including basic math, the use of digital technologies, and science. These skills are known as comprehensive literacy.

The loan, the first individual operation of a conditional credit line for investment projects (CCLIP), will finance the delivery of books for primary students, books for students with hearing or visual disabilities, mobile libraries, and literacy kits, among other resources.

The program will also allow technical teams to better monitor and evaluate educational programs and improve coordination between the national and subnational levels of the education system.

The IDB loan of $300 million has a disbursement period of four years and an interest rate based on SOFR.