Balance of Higher Education in the third year of the Petro Government: advances in gratuity and lags in infrastructure

Three years after the beginning of the government of President Gustavo Petro, the balance in higher education reveals concrete progress in the university free policy, while the goals of territorial expansion and infrastructure remain in initial stages. The policy of free registration, formalized by Law 2307 of 2023, has benefited more than 870,000 students in 64 public institutions. Operatively known as “I can study”, this measure guarantees free access to undergraduate in official universities, without restrictions by age, nationality or socioeconomic stratum. The current coverage reaches about 96 % of the total number of students enrolled in public institutions. It may be interested: “The State is spending unexpectedly”: Bruce Mac Master warns about fiscal deficit between 2023 and 2025, the State has allocated more than 5 billion pesos to the financing of this policy. By 2025, the assigned budget exceeds 1.19 billion pesos. In addition, the Government increased the operating budget of public universities by 2.14 billion pesos, with inflation adjustments and additional 27 %. The benefit covers only the value of the enrollment, not including maintenance, transport or materials. It is aimed at students registered in SISBÉN IV (Groups A, B or C), as well as victims of the armed conflict and members of indigenous communities. In an interview with the FM, Professor Alex Buitrago, a university professor, said that the Government managed to formalize the gratuity, but warned of collateral impacts in the student financial system: “The Government managed to transform the zero registration ‘ Eliminating age and nationality barriers. However, experts warn that the implementation has been partial and some students who do not access complete gratuity face difficulties to finance their studies. On the expansion of coverage, the Ministry of Education announced the creation of 190,000 new quotas between 2022 and 2024. However, this figure is based on first -seventh records, which has generated criticism with respect to its validity as a real expansion indicator. External estimates indicate that effective growth could be close to 125,000 new students. Regarding the promise to build new university headquarters, 37 ongoing projects are reported, but only two venues have been inaugurated. One in Suárez, Cauca, corresponding to the University of the Valley, and another from the University of Cundinamarca in Soacha, still under construction. The majority of projects are in the phase of studies, property management or structuring. Approximately 1.7 billion pesos have been invested in higher educational infrastructure, which include both new works and extensions. The initial government goal was to build 35 university headquarters, 7 universities and 10 headquarters, especially in historically excluded regions. The Buitrago profess Multiple venues and universities that promised, ”he said. The financial sustainability of the system has been another of the issues indicated as critics. The Comptroller General warned about a multimillion -dollar debt with public universities, which puts the continuity of gratuity if structural reforms are not addressed. In that sense, Buitrago added: “If this structural problem is not addressed, gratuity will not be possible … The Government has the opportunity to propose a legislative framework that really modernizes the educational system”, referring to a possible reform of Law 30. More news: Petro’s last year begins as the first Colombian president of the left -wing conclusion, the free policy is consolidated and with budgetary support, while the infrastructure, while the infrastructure University advances at a lower pace than projected. The last year of the government will be decisive to define whether these initiatives manage to become sustainable transformations within the higher education system.

Source link