DECREE NO. 6,729, OF January 12, 2009.

Promuling the Protocol of Educational Integration and Recognition Of Certificates and Fundamental and Middle Level Studies Non-Technical Among the States Parties to Mercosur, Bolivia and Chile, signed in Brasilia, on December 5, 2002.

THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC, in the use of the assignment that gives it the art. 84, inciso IV, of the Constitution, and

Considering that the National Congress has approved, by means of the Legislative Decree no 216, of June 30, 2004, the Protocol of Educational Integration and Recognition Of Certificates and Fundamental and Middle-Level Studies between the States Parties to Mercosur, Bolivia and Chile, signed in Brasilia, on December 5, 2002;

Considering that the Brazilian Government deposited the instrument of ratification of the said Protocol to the Direction of Treaties of the Paraguayan Chancellery on April 23, 2008;

Whereas the Protocol entered into international force on January 17, 2008 and went on to invigorate to Brazil, in the external plan, on May 23, 2008;

DECRETA:

Art. 1st The Protocol of Educational Integration and Recognition Of Certificates and Fundamental and Middle-Level Studies between the States Parties to Mercosur, Bolivia and Chile, apensed by copy to the present Decree, will be executed and fulfilled as entirely as it contains.

Art. 2nd are subject to the approval of the National Congress any acts that may result in revision of the said Agreement or that carries charges or commitments engraved to the national heritage, pursuant to art. 49, inciso I, of the Constitution.

Art. 3rd This Decree comes into effect on the date of its publication.

Brasilia, January 12, 2009; 188º of Independence and 121º of the Republic.

LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA

Celso Luiz Nunes Amorim

EDUCATIONAL INTEGRATION PROTOCOL AND

RECOGNITION OF CERTIFICATES, TITLES, AND

FUNDAMENTAL AND MID-LEVEL STUDIES

NON-TECHNICAL BETWEEN STATES PARTS OF THE

MERCOSUL, THE REPUBLIC OF BOLIVIA

AND THE REPUBLIC OF CHILE

The governments of the Argentine Republic, of the Federative Republic of the Brazil, the Republic of Paraguay and the Eastern Republic of Uruguay, States Parties to MERCOSUR, the Republic of Bolivia and the Republic of Chile, Associated States of MERCOSUR, all henceforth called "States Parties", for the purpose of the present Protocol,

IN VIRTUE of the principles, ends and objectives of the Treaty of Assumption, signed in twenty-six of March one thousand nine hundred and ninety one, between the Republic of Argentina, the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Republic of Paraguay and the Eastern Republic of Uruguay, and of the Protocol of Black Gold, signed in seventeen December one thousand nine hundred and ninety four, by these same states;

AWARE that Education is a key actor in the scene of regional integration processes;

PREDICTING that educational systems should offer answers to the challenges raised by productive transformations, scientific and technical advances and the consolidation of democracy in the context of the growing integration between the countries of the region;

POWERED by the conviction that it is fundamental to promote the cultural development by means of a process of harmonic and dynamic integration, aimed at facilitating the circulation of knowledge among the member countries of MERCOSUR and Associated States;

INSPIRED by the will to consolidate the common factors of identity, history and cultural heritage of the peoples;

CONSIDERING the need to reach a common agreement concerning the recognition and equiparation of the basic and medium non-technical studies, curstered in any of the four member countries of MERCOSUR and in the two associated countries, specifically in what concerns their academic validity,

WAKE up:

Article First

States Parties shall recognize the basic and non-technical education studies and validate the certificates certifing them, dispatted by the officially recognized institutions in each of the States Parties, under the same conditions established by the country of origin for pupils or alumni of the said institutions.

The mentioned recognition will be carried out with the aim of enabling further studies, in accordance with the Table of Equivalences that appears as Annex I and that it is an integral part of this Protocol.

To ensure the implementation of this Protocol, the MERCOSUR Education Ministers ' Meeting will propend the incorporation of minimum curricular contents of History and Geography of each of the States Parties, organized by means of instruments and procedures agreed by the competent authorities from each of the signatory countries.

Article Second

The studies at the fundamental or average non-technical level performed from incomplete form in any of the States Parties shall be recognized in the remaining States in order to enable their further continuation.

This recognition will be done with basis in the Table of Equivalence mentioned in the second paragraph of the article first, which could be opportunely complemented by an additional table that will allow to equate the distinct academic situations originating from the application of the regimes of assessment and progression of each of the States Parties.

Article Third

With the aim of establishing the equivalent denominations of the levels of education from each of the States Parties, to harmonize the administrative mechanisms that facilitate the development of what has been established, to create mechanisms that favour the adaptation of students in the receiving country, to resolve those Situations which are not contemplated by the Tables of Equivalence and of ensuring compliance with this Protocol, a Technical Regional Commission shall be established which may meet every time at least two of the States Parties consider necessary.

The Technical Regional Commission will be integrated by delegations from the Ministries of Education of each of the States Parties and their coordination will fit the competent sectors of the respective Chancelleries. The meeting places will be established rotatively in the territories of each of the States Parties.

Article Room

Each State Party should inform the remaining states of any modification verified in your educational system.

Article Quinto

In case of existence between the States Parties of convennials or bilateral agreements with more favourable provisions on the matter, the said States Parties will be able to invoke the application of those devices which they deem most advantageous.

Article Sixth

The controversies that arise between States Parties by virtue of the application, interpretation or non-compliance with the provisions contained in this Protocol, shall be resolved by direct diplomatic negotiations.

Seventh Article

This Protocol will enter into force thirty (30) days after the deposit of the instruments of ratification of at least one State Party of MERCOSUR and by at least one Associate State.

For the remaining States Parties, will enter into force on the thirtieth day later than the deposit of its respective instrument of ratification.

Article Oitavo

This Protocol could be revised from common accord by proposal by one of the States Parties.

Article Nono

The Government of the Republic of Paraguay will be the depositary of the present Protocol, as well as of the instruments of ratification, and will send duly certified copies of them to the Governments of the remaining States Parties.

Similarly, the Government of the Republic of Paraguay shall notify the Governments of the remaining States Parties on the date of entry into force of this Protocol, and the date of deposit of the instruments of ratification.

Made in the city of Brasilia, Federative Republic of Brazil, at the five (5) days of the month of December 2002, in an original, in the Portuguese and Spanish languages, being both texts being equally authentic.

Carlos Federico Ruckauf

Argentine Republic

Celso Lafer

Federative Republic of Brazil

José Antonio Moreno Ruffinelli

Republic of Paraguay

Didier Opertti

The Eastern Republic of Uruguay

Carlos Saavedra Bruno

Republic of Bolivia

Soledad Alvear Valenzuela

Republic of Chile

ANNEX I

EQUIVALENCE TABLE

1. -Equivalent denominations of levels of education. Equivalence of the years of schooling.

ARGENTINA		BRASIL	PARAGUAY		URUGUAY	CHILE		BOLÍVIA
Previous in Vigence	Current
Teaching	Initial
Pre-school	5 years
1º Grau of Primary	1º EGB	1º Series	1º EEB	1º Primary	1º Primary	1º of Basic	1º E. Basic = NB1	1º of Primary	1º of Primary
6 years		7 years	6 years		6 years	6 years		6 years
2º Grade of Primary	2º EGB	2º Series	2º EEB	2º Primary	2º Primary	2º of Basic	2º E. Basic = NB1	2º of Primary	2º of Primary
7 years		8 years	7 years		7 years	7 years		7 years
3º Grade of Primary	3º EGB	3º Series	3º EEB	3º Primary	3º Primary	3º of Basic	3º E. Basic = NB2	3º of Primary	3º of Primary
8 years		9 years	8 years		8 years	8 years		8 years
4º Grade of Primary	4º EGB	4º Series	4º EEB	4º Primary	4º Primary	4º of Basic	4º E. Basic = NB2	4º Primary	4º Primary
9 years		10 years	9 years		9 years	9 years		9 years
5º Grade of Primary	5º EGB	5º Series	5º EEB	5º Primary	5º Primary	5º of Basic	5º E. Basic = NB3	5º of Primary	5º of Primary
10 years		11 years	10 years		10 years	10 years		10 years
6º Grade of Primary	6º EGB	6º Series	6º EEB	6º Primary	6º Primary	6º of Basic	6º E. Basic = NB4	1º Intermediate	6º Primary
11 years		12 years	11 years		11 years	11 years		11 years
7º Grade of Primary	7º EGB	7º Series	7º EEB	1º Cycle Basic	1º Basic Cycle	7º of Basic	7º E. Basic = NB5	2º Intermediate	7º of Primary
12 years		13 years	12 years		12 years	12 years		12 years
1º Year of Secondary Secondary	8º EGB	8º Series	8º EEB	2º Basic Cycle	2º Cycle Basic	8º of Basic	8º E. Basic = NB6	3º Intermediate	8º of Primary
13 years		14 years	13 years		13 years	13 years		13 years
2º Year of Secondary	9º EGB		9º EEB	3º Cycle Basic	3º Cycle Basic	1º Average Education	1º Average Education	1º Average	Secondary 1º
14 years			14 years		14 years	14 years		14 years
3º Year of Secondary	1º Polimodal	1º Year	1º Medium	4º Cycle Bachelor	1º Bachelor of Diversified	2º Education Average	2º Average Education	2º Average	2º Secondary
15 years		15 years	15 years		15 years	15 years		15 years
4º Year of Secondary	2º Polimodal	2º Year	2º Medium	5º Cycle Bacharelated	2º Bachelor's degree Diversified	3º Medium Education	3º Education Average	3º Average	3º Secondary
16 years		16 years	16 years		16 years	16 years		16 years
5º Year of Secondary Secondary	3º Polimodal	3º Year	3º Medium	6º Cycle Bacharelated	3º Bachelor's degree Diversified	4º Medium Education	4º Average Education	4º Average	Secondary 4º
17 years		17 years	17 years		17 years	17 years		17 years
12 Years		11 Years	12 Years		12 Years	12 Years		12 Years