School in Paraguay: twelve years of education, free at public schools, in Spanish and Guaraní
In Paraguay education is compulsory from nursery class to the end of secondary school: nine years of basic education and three years of educación media. At public schools it is free. Children learn Guaraní there as well as Spanish. A school may not refuse your child because his residence status has not yet been settled.
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Children in Paraguay must go to school from nursery class up to and including secondary school. Basic education, the educación escolar básica, has nine school years and under Ley 1264 is compulsory and free at public schools, including the year before it. Since Ley 4088 of 2010 the same applies to nursery class and to the three years of educación media. The law wants children to be taught in both official languages, Spanish and Guaraní. And the migration law says that no school may refuse a child because his residence status is not in order.
| Level | Length | Compulsory and free at public schools |
|---|---|---|
| Educación inicial, first cycle | up to and including age 3 | since 2010 |
| Educación inicial, second cycle | up to age 4 | since 2010 |
| Preescolar | age 5 | yes, part of basic education |
| Educación escolar básica | 9 school years, in three cycles | yes |
| Educación media | 3 years, ending with the bachillerato | since 2010 |
In which language is your child taught?
Paraguay has two official languages. Ley 1264 provides that teaching starts in the official language that is the child's mother tongue, and that the other official language is taught as a second language from the start. The law assumes a child whose mother tongue is Spanish or Guaraní. For a child who speaks Dutch at home, that means two new languages at once. Ask a school how it receives newcomers, and whether it offers extra Spanish lessons.
Can your child go to school right away?
Yes. Article 6 of the migration law says that irregular residence status may never be a reason not to enrol a child at a public or private school, in basic education or educación media. So you do not have to wait until the residencia has been granted.
Do bring the birth certificate, with an apostille, and the grade lists or reports from the Dutch school, with an apostille and a sworn translation into Spanish.
How are Dutch school years recognised?
Through a resolución de reconocimiento de estudios from the Ministry of Education, the MEC. Universities in Paraguay ask foreign students for that resolution, alongside a legalised or apostilled and translated diploma; the student must also be in the MEC's student register, the Registro Único del Estudiante. It is a personal application at the MEC. How a child joins a school mid-way is decided by the school with the MEC; ask in advance.
What does the migration service ask for your child?
Children up to 17 fall into a category of their own at the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones. They do not have to show means of support. Both parents sign the application, and at least one parent already holds a residencia or applies for one at the same time.
If one parent travels alone with the children, the migration service wants notarial consent from the other parent stating that the child may live in Paraguay, or a court judgment. Arrange that deed in the Netherlands, with an apostille, before you leave. See also emigrating with children after a divorce.
Children under 14 do not have to hand in a certificate of good conduct.
What changes in the Netherlands?
Child benefit. If you go to live and work outside the Netherlands and are therefore no longer insured, child benefit stops, the SVB writes. The benefits treaty with Paraguay expressly leaves the Netherlands free in article 4 to restrict child benefit for children outside the Netherlands. The AOW and the rest of that treaty are covered in AOW, pension and tax in Paraguay.
How enrolling your children fits into your first weeks is set out in the first weeks in Paraguay and in the route to Paraguay.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 3 of 5 of the journey, step 3.5: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Paraguay or go straight to step 3.5 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- Ley 1264/98 General de Educación, articles 29 to 42 — the structure of education and the two languages (BACN) — bacn.gov.py
- Ley 4088/10 — compulsory and free education for nursery class and educación media (BACN) — bacn.gov.py
- Ley 6984/2022 de Migraciones, article 6 — no refusal at school because of residence status (BACN) — bacn.gov.py
- Dirección Nacional de Migraciones — residence for children, with the consent of both parents — migraciones.gov.py
- CONES — university admission, with the recognition of foreign school years by the MEC — cones.gov.py
- Treaty Netherlands–Paraguay on the export and enforcement of social security benefits, article 4 — room to restrict child benefit — wetten.overheid.nl
- SVB — child benefit stops if you live outside the Netherlands and are no longer insured — svb.nl
- General Child Benefit Act (Algemene Kinderbijslagwet) — no child benefit for a child living outside the Netherlands, except under the European regulation — wetten.overheid.nl
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