The Senate debates the University Financing Law and the ruling party anticipates a new defeat

The opposition achieved a large majority and achieved the approval of the law with 57 affirmative votes, 10 against and one abstention.

Despite the decision of the Congress, he Government He anticipated that, as with the pension reform, he will veto the law, arguing that it would put the fiscal surplus at risk. The proposal presented by the Radical Civic Union increases funding for national universities to ensure their operation.

The increase includes a Increase for teachers and non-teaching staff and will generate a Fiscal impact of 735.598 billion pesoswhich implies the 0.14 percent of GDPaccording to the Congressional Budget Office.

Wado de Pedro pointed against the Government for “directly attacking” the fundamental principles of education”

During the debate, the Kirchnerist senator Eduardo “Wado” de Pedro He accused the Government of wanting to “destroy” universities and said: “This project defines Whether we fund the public university system or leave millions of young people without a future“.

Along these lines, the president of the Education Committee warned: “We are discussing the survival of the university system,” he added.

In turn, Pedro pointed against the administration of Javier Milei and pointed out: “We are facing a government that directly attacks the fundamental principles of education. We are also faced with a president who boasts of being a mole who will destroy the State. And the destruction of the State is the destruction of pensioners, It is the destruction of universities and it is the destruction of schools.“.

For his part, the senator for Libertad Avanza, Bruno Olivera, defended the Government’s position and pointed out that there had already been a 270 percent increase in resources for the National Universities. He also maintained that the opposition “has not said how the budget increase will be financed” and argued that for this reason “it cannot be accepted because zero deficit is not negotiable.”

He also stressed that this increase was “done responsibly without compromising the fiscal balance without increasing the deficit” because, as he explained, “Fiscal balance is not negotiable as President Javier Milei said.

He also questioned the provision of a system for updating teachers and non-teaching staff and requested that the salary adjustment be made. be defined between teachers and authorities of the higher educational institutions.

University Financing: What the project consists of

If the initiative is approved, the Executive Branch would have to update the budget items to cover operating, research and extension expenses at universities, and establishes that every two months the Government must adjust university budgets according to inflation.

In turn, it establishes that it will have to update from January 1, 2024 and until December 31, 2024, on a bi-monthly basis, the amount of operating expenses of national universities for the Consumer Price Index reported by INDEC.

According to the Budget Office, the update of 2023 items according to the CPI is 210.742 million pesos; the bi-monthly adjustment of resources for 2024 is 86.254 billion pesoswhile for salaries the funds fluctuate in the 441.6 billion pesos.

One of the central points is that the prices will be increased every month. salaries of teachers and non-teaching staff updated according to inflation. This salary increase mechanism would cease to be valid only if there is an agreement with the authorities of the National Universities.