Mendoza aeronautical school replaces entrance exam with lottery

The Dirección General de Escuelas (DGE) has eliminated the traditional entrance examination for the Escuela Técnica 4-106 IV Brigada Aérea in Mendoza, Argentina. This decision replaces the competitive exam with a lottery system to determine access to the school's 50 available vacancies.

The announcement was made only 48 hours before the scheduled exam, affecting approximately 200 sixth-grade students who had been preparing for months. The school, located within the Argentine Air Force premises in El Plumerillo, is the only institution of its kind in the country's center-west region, specializing in training aeronautical technicians.

Parents and students have organized protests and sit-ins in front of the Government House to express their opposition. Critics argue that the change undermines academic excellence and fails to reward student effort, while the DGE maintains the measure is necessary to equalize admission conditions with other public secondary schools.