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Despite the agreement for operating funds, the UBA will support the claim of the rest of the country's universities - Infobae
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A pesar del acuerdo por los fondos de funcionamiento, la UBA apoyará el reclamo del resto de las universidades del país
En diálogo con Infobae, el vicerrector Emiliano Yacobitti aseguró que apoyan el pedido de unas 60 universidades del país. Advirtió por la situación salarial de los docentes e investigadores
www.infobae.com
May 15, 2024
In dialogue with Infobae, vice-rector Emiliano Yacobitti assured that they support the request of some 60 universities in the country. He warned about the salary situation of teachers and researchers
By Juan Pablo Elverdin
Emiliano Yacobitti, vice-rector of the UBA
The massive march last month in support of the University of Buenos Aires, called to demand an update of the budget in the midst of growing inflation and the strong adjustment that the Government has been making since December 10, had a high impact, despite to such an extent that the relationship between both sectors changed. In fact, after that call, national authorities met with university leaders, specifically from the University of Buenos Aires.
After almost a month of that march to Plaza de Mayo, the Government released funds to guarantee the operation of the UBA, the first claim that the authorities of that study house had been making. However, the rest of the country's universities still maintain their claim, since they have not received funds in the same proportion.
In dialogue with Infobae, the vice-rector of the UBA, Emiliano Yacobitti , confirmed that the Higher Council of that institution decided to suspend the economic emergency that had been dictated at the beginning of April, although he warned that they will maintain the request for salary recomposition of teachers and researchers, and that will accompany the claim of the rest of the universities in the country, so that the Executive sends them the funds that guarantee their operation.
“The Government recognized the updating of operating expenses as requested by the University, an average of 300%. These expenses, if they were not updated, would not directly allow us to pay for basic services. The Government did do that, it is worth recognizing it. The great protagonists of this achievement are the entire society, all the sectors that mobilized in a massive and plural way, and he said that he was willing to defend the public university,” Yacobitti said today.
Beyond the situation of the UBA, the dispute still continues: in the institutions of the rest of the country they claim that they have not yet reached any agreement with the authorities and ask that the same money be transferred to them as that arranged for the University of Buenos Aires. .
There are at least 60 institutes that insist on the need and urgency for the State to transfer them the amount of money required to guarantee their normal functioning and the teaching of classes. “We are in full discussion to see if they give the same to all of us. If not, there will be problems,” Víctor Moriñigo, rector of the National University of San Luis and current president of the National Interuniversity Council (CIN), told Infobae.
An Infobae drone image of the university rally on April 23.
In that sense, the UCR leader also recognized that this agreement was for the UBA, although he confirmed that the claim of its directors is for the entire university system in the country. “ Of course the UBA is also going to claim not only the operating expenses of the UBA, but of the entire system. Perhaps the UBA, due to a matter of volume, is the one that has the greatest impact , but for us it is important that the rest of the universities can function,” he stressed .
On April 23, broad sectors of society staged a massive mobilization in the Plaza de Mayo to protest the lack of resources for the 36 national universities. It was a massive mobilization, of nearly 800,000 people - according to calculations by the University of Buenos Aires - that achieved transversality and united multiple sectors of the university system, unionism, civil society and the political opposition behind a slogan that is difficult to challenge: “ In defense of the public university.”
The claim originated after the decision of the Executive Branch to extend the 2023 Budget, within the framework of an inflation that exceeded, at that time, 270% year-on-year, which caused the funds for public universities to liquidate. The authorities of the most prestigious study houses in the country started a dispute against Balcarce 50 to demand an update of the games. However, Milei adopted a confrontational stance and avoided giving in, which further fueled the call.
After the march, the link between La Rosada and the university authorities changed. In fact, a handful of days after the call, the Minister of Human Capital, Sandra Pettovello, together with the Secretary of Education, Carlos Torrendell, received Ricardo Gelpi, the rector of the UBA . After the meeting, the official assured: "Never was it reported by Libertad Avanza or the Ministry of Human Capital that the public university was going to be closed or defunded."
Yacobitti highlighted the change in position of the national government, although he warned that beyond the sending of funds to guarantee the operation of the UBA, and the suspension of the emergency, the Superior Council remains in “a state of alert and maximum concern because the expenses of operation is only 12% of the budget, the rest is for salaries of teachers and workers.”
“In this case, workers have had a salary adjustment that exceeds 40%. The UBA will continue to demand all of these things. We not only fight to remain open, but also to remain the best in Latin America. For this, teachers and researchers need to be able to continue with us,” he stated.
Yacobitti also highlighted that the Council submitted to the different political sectors an economic financing bill so that the university budget is not discretionary of the Executive Branch in power.
“What is operating expense, in the immediate term, has more impact. What we were discussing was that with the budget he had sent, you wouldn't even be able to pay for electricity. But we are not going to stop demanding the salaries of teachers, researchers, science and technology. It is of no use to the University to remain open if it is not working to continue being the lighthouse in Latin America,” he highlighted.
Yesterday, the national government confirmed that it will send reinforcement funds to the UBA. There will be two items for $26,016,488,265 and $35,436,785,336, respectively, destined for operating expenses and to sustain health care levels, respectively. The measure was resolved by the Secretary of Education this Tuesday and communicated this Wednesday by the UBA through a statement. In this, they said that in recent days a series of meetings were held with the authorities in which they reached an agreement and announced the end of the budget emergency activated at the beginning of April.
