University schools occupy institutions protesting over Milei’s denial to implement funding

Students from Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires and Carlos Pellegrini, both affiliated with the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), occupied the school buildings starting Tuesday at 10 p.m. in protest over the government’s failure to comply with the University Funding Law.

The action was approved during assemblies held outside regular class hours and, according to representatives from the student unions, may continue over the next few days depending on decisions made in upcoming meetings.

The protest comes two weeks after the massive university demonstration held on May 12 and once again draws attention to the budget conflict affecting Argentina’s national universities.

The Open Letter to the president

The self-organized families of Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires posted an “open letter” to President Milei in their social media account.

“Once again, students of the UBA-affiliated pre-university school have resorted to the occupation of the school building as a means to make the conflict over funding for university education heard and visible,” they wrote.

“Neither teaching staff, non-teaching staff, nor students should have to sustain measures of protest if the National Government complied with the University Funding Law, democratically passed by the National Congress and upheld by the courts more than seven months ago,” they argued.

Parents also claimed that responsibility for the loss of class days and “the deterioration of teaching conditions” lies with the president as well as with Chief of Staff Manuel Adorni, Human Capital Minister Sandra Petovello, and other authorities of the Executive Branch, “for failing to guarantee the resources necessary for the proper functioning of the public university and pre-university system.”

Towards the end, they conclude, the protests would not take place if the government were not “evading its responsibility to ensure compliance with the Law and to guarantee that the funding allocated to universities effectively reaches them.”

The university conflict

The University Funding Law has been approved by Congress and includes updated budget allocations to guarantee the operation of public universities, as well as salary increases for teaching and non-teaching staff. 

It also proposes mechanisms for budget adjustments tied to inflation, along with funds designated for research, scholarships, and university outreach programs.

The national government ultimately vetoed the law, and different sectors within the university community warn that the budget situation is affecting salaries, infrastructure, research, and the day-to-day functioning of educational institutions.

In response to this situation, professors, non-teaching staff, and students from public universities demonstrated in a massive march to demand enforcement of the law. Public classes were also held in defense of the university system and to urge the Supreme Court to guarantee the implementation of the University Funding Law (No. 27,795), which had initially been approved by Congress and later ratified by a two-thirds majority in both chambers after Milei attempted to veto it.

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المصدر: Buenos Aires Herald