One week after a federal university march, the Higher Council of the UBA unanimously decided to join and call for the mobilization “in protest for the salary situation of its workers and for a university budget that guarantees the fulfillment of its objectives”.
To promote the call for mobilization, the University of Buenos Aires launched a spot where it emphasizes: “We march for the future. We march for education.” In the video you can see different people touring some of the headquarters of the UBA deciding to take to the streetsThe cut closes with the following text: “We march to Congress against the veto of the Law on Financing of Public Universities.”
It will be the Second Federal University March against the Government after the massive mobilization to Plaza de Mayo that students, teachers, unions, legislators and opposition leaders carried out the April 23 the last to reject the budget cuts that Milei’s administration had implemented, and which he had to deactivate.
In light of Milei’s announcement, not yet finalized, veto the rule passed on September 13ththe organizations that make up the university community mobilize to Congress at 5 pm. They also decided to arrange a meeting I’m striking on the 26th and 27th of this month.
The rector of the UBA said: “The Government has a systematic, methodical and gradual plan for the destruction of public education”
For his part, the rector of the UBA, Ricardo Gelpi, said during his presentation before the Superior Council: “Today I am convinced that The Government has a systematic, methodical and gradual plan for the destruction of public education. The proof of this is that a Government that is going to veto a Financing Lawwhich involved a very small percentage of the GDP of the country, is a Government which is not targeting education, nor science, nor the social aspect of universities. This is not politics, it is a claim for the future of the country”.
And he added, “In April, when we all went to that massive march, I hoped that the government would realize that public universities need to be funded, that they need to be helped, that they would realize the importance of public education. Five months later I see that they didn’t learn anything at that time.”.
By calling for the march next Wednesday, the UBA is supporting the decision of the National Interuniversity Council (CIN), of teaching and non-teaching unions, the Buenos Aires University Federation (FUBA) and the Argentine University Federation (FUA).
University Financing: what is the law that the Government is seeking to veto?
The initiative approved by both Houses of Congress, and which the Government plans to veto, establishes first of all that the Executive Branch must Update budget items to cover operating, research and extension expenses at universitiesand sets that every two months the Government will have to adjust university budgets in line with 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 contemplated by the law is a monthly increase in the 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.
Source: Ambito
