The University of Buenos Aires (UBA) has recently denounced that the audits commissioned by the national government, through the General Audit Office of the Nation (SIGEN), threaten “university autonomy.”
This situation has generated a strong controversy and has led to the UBA to initiate legal action to defend their independence. President Javier Milei, for his part, has responded with harsh criticism of the university authorities, accusing them of lack of transparency and trying to hide information.
The UBA argues that SIGEN’s intervention puts at risk academic freedom and the autonomy of universities, fundamental principles guaranteed by the National Constitution. According to article 75, paragraph 19 of the Constitution, national universities must be disassociated from the Executive Branch and subject only to the regulatory power of Congress.
The Higher Education Law also reinforces this independence, limiting the possibilities of interference by the Executive Branch in the academic and financial activities of universities. In a statement, the UBA expressed that the Government’s measure represents an “unconstitutional and illegal intervention” and that it already has internal control mechanisms and external audits carried out by the Auditor General of the Nation (AGN), following current regulations.
The university maintains that its administration cannot be subordinated to the orbit of the Executive Branch by norms lower in hierarchy than the Constitution. The rector of the UBARicardo Gelpi, highlighted that the university already complies with the audits established in current legislation and that it is one of the most audited public entities in Argentina..
In this sense, the UBA has implemented an internal control regime through the AGN and has rejected any intervention by SIGEN in its internal affairs. President Javier Milei’s response was immediate.
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Through her social networks, Milei harshly criticized the university authorities, accusing them of being “dirty” and trying to hide information. “The UBA refuses to be audited. This not only reveals that the authorities are dirty, but also that things are worse than we imagine, since the only point in hiding information is that what exists is worse than imagined,” Milei wrote on his X account. .
Presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni also spoke out on the matter, stating that “people deserve to know how their tax money is spent: some don’t seem to understand it.” Adorni highlighted the importance of transparency in the use of public resources and defended the Government’s decision to audit national universities.
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