Secretary of Education defended the Budget: “It will go from the educating State to an educating society”

The debate over the project Budget 2025 continues in the Chamber of Deputies. In a new round of calls to Executive officials, this Thursday the Secretary of Education of the Nation, Carlos Torrendellwho for the universities promised “ continue to strengthen the salary policy, which is what we have tried within the zero deficit situation”.

This Thursday’s meeting was attended by Alejandro Alvarez, Undersecretary of University Policies. During the week they also participated in the Budget and Finance Commission Daniel Scioli (Tourism, Environment and Sports) and Yanina Nano Lembo (Childhood and Families). Previously, the Minister of Security participated, Patricia Bullrichand the finance secretaries, Pablo Quirnoand Treasury, Carlos Guberman. The opposition continues to demand the Minister of Economy, Luis Caputo.

The Government intends to continue the information rounds until the month of November, when it must try to approve the project if it wishes to have the Budget law before the end of the year, contemplating that his treatment in the Senate. The ruling party does not rule out extending the debate to extraordinary sessions in January 2025.

The debate around educational financing is one of the most anticipated in the legislative field, not only due to university demand but also due to article 27 of the draft Budget 2025, that suspends the minimum percentage of investment that corresponds to the National System of Science, Technical Professional Education and National Education. The proposed floor was 6% of GDP, a goal that was only reached in 2015 and that also includes the expenses of the provinces.

Simultaneously, article 17 of the 2025 Budget project establishes a sum of around $3.8 trillion to finance “operating expenses, investment and special programs of national universities“. The response of National Interuniversity Council (CIN) was to demand almost double -$7.2 billion- through a statement that resumes the discussion that has been going on in recent weeks: the Government’s calculations They do not contemplate the salary increase of university workers, claim that continues with forceful measures.

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Budget 2025: Carlos Torrendell defended the ruling party’s educational budget

At the beginning of his intervention, Carlos Torrendell assured that there is a paradigm shift in the budget project that “goes from a conception of right and duty to education in an abstract, declamatory way that makes invisible both failures and successes of the Argentine educational system; to the conception of a right to education that focuses on real learning for all, which involves threading simultaneously and generating greater educational freedomat the same time achieving equity in learning and building trust to be able to act as a system and not as an atomized network of individuals, institutions and officials.”

“The central challenge is an educational policy focused on learning,” remarked the secretary, who noted that “we move from the educating state to an educating societywhich of course implies a presence of the State in terms of educational policies but in a much more integrated, respectful and participatory way, in dialogue with civil society.”

The official also announced the creation of a new line of literacy programs “which involves financing close to $700,000 million, along with other lines linked to management that total about $600,000 million.” “Focusing on literacy is transversal, it generates a positive externality. That Targeting is not arbitrary, it is efficient and productive“, he defined. Then, he highlighted the importance that the administration will give to “evaluation of management and connectivity”with a digitization system that provides disaggregated information on educational results and learning.

When referring to universities, Torrendell specified that the financing for higher education institutions is equivalent to almost $4 billion with two fundamental axes: inclusion and graduation. “In the primary spending of the national Budget, university spending went from fifth to third place, which shows that it is relevant,” he stated and stressed that he will continue “the dialogue with unions and universities to continue to strengthen the salary policy, which is what we have tried within the zero deficit situation”.

Closing his introduction, the Secretary of Education stated that they are developing a book distribution policy and considered that the The design of the current educational budget allows “concentrating resources so that children learn. It is not just about adding resources, but it is about investing them so that they are effectively equitable so that the children learn.”