Ricardo Gelpi, rector of the Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), said the government has cut nearly all funding for public universities.
The funding crisis threatens the stability of Argentina's public higher education system, sparking widespread protests against President Javier Milei's decision to veto the university financing law.
Gelpi said the current situation has no precedent in the democratic history of the country. He said the problem with the current government is that it has cut practically everything. These remarks come as academic authorities from the UBA and the National Interuniversity Council (CIN) describe the situation as critical following the presidential veto.
To protest these measures, a University March was organized for Sept. 17, 2024 [1]. The primary gathering point for the demonstration was the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires [2].
The scale of the protest reflected the depth of the academic community's frustration. Approximately 800,000 people gathered at the Plaza de Mayo [3]. When including provincial marches across the country, the total estimated number of participants reached approximately 1.5 million people [3].
The protesters sought to reverse the veto of the financing law, which they argue is essential for the survival of the public university system. The UBA rector's comments highlight a growing rift between the executive branch and the nation's leading academic institutions, a conflict centered on the role of state-funded education in the current economic framework.
“"The problem with this government is that it has cut practically everything."”
The conflict represents a fundamental clash between President Milei's austerity-driven economic policies and the traditional Argentine model of free, state-funded higher education. By vetoing the financing law and overseeing deep cuts, the administration is testing the political and social resilience of the university system, while the massive turnout at the marches suggests a broad coalition of students and faculty willing to challenge these fiscal measures through civil mobilization.
