The Government continues the “crusade” for universities and confirmed that it analyzes options to audit the 61 national universities under its charge. Currently, a resolution of the SIGEN prevents universities from being audited. On the social network
“We are working on more than one option,” Petovello said in response to the news of the possible annulment of the resolution.
The Constitution establishes that the internal controls of every public body are carried out by the General Sindicature of the Nation (SIGEN), which depends on the government in power, and the external ones are the AGN, which depends on Congress.
During 2024, SIGEN carried out a survey of the agreements between universities and different departments of the National Public Administration, which resulted in “the existence of 2,245 technical assistance agreements for various reasons, of which 354 correspond to the UBA”.
The SIGEN confirmed the will to “review the execution of said agreements to determine whether their objective has been met, what the results have been, whether the execution was carried out by the university or was subcontracted to third parties and audit the correct and complete application of the funds delivered to the achievement of said objective,” the organization stated in a statement.
The axis of the conflict according to the Government: the lack of audits
In a statement, the Ministry of Human Capital, under whose orbit the Undersecretary of University Policies operates, stated: “It is essential to audit the use of public funds. Universities, especially the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), have not been adequately held accountable. 89% of the funds transferred between 2015 and 2022 have not yet been paid. It is important to clarify that the statement about the alleged audits of the General Auditor’s Office (AGN) of the universities is not correct.”
And he added: “Currently, the AGN has 6 reports in process, and in recent years it has only approved 3 reports, of which only 1 is linked to the UBA, corresponding to the Faculty of Psychology, audited in 2018. The others 2 correspond to periods audited in 2017. Therefore, it is not true that universities, particularly the UBA, have more audits than other sectors of the State.”
Given the march in favor of the educational financing fund approved by Congress, the government of Javier Milei He focused on the real number of regular students, another point of debate about the transparency of universities.
“Only 40.6% of university students are considered regular, while 38.4% do not have clear information about their academic activity“said the Secretary of Education, Carlos Torrendell.
How the UBA is currently audited
The Higher Education Law establishes that “all state-run university higher education institutions must generate internal audit mechanisms that guarantee transparency in the use of assets and resources.”
Within universities there are internal control units. For example, the General Audit Office of the University of Buenos Aires (AGUBA) operates at the UBA, which prepares and publishes audit reports for each of the faculties that make up the university.
The auditor general is appointed by el Superior Council of the UBAwhich is made up of the rector, the deans of the faculties and representatives of the faculty of graduate professors and students. The deputy auditors are appointed by the rector. According to the latest Planning report, the AGUBA has a staff of 26 people, including auditors, directors, supervisors and secretaries.
Source: Ambito
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