The rector of the University of Concepción and new president of the Network of Non-State Public Universities (G9), Carlos Saavedra, referred to the government’s claims to give preference to public universities over private ones, which would leave them at a disadvantage in research topics, content generation and social mobility, among others.
Under that scenario, in conversation with The Counter at La ClaveSaavedra expressed the importance of remembering the historical role of the Corporation created on March 7, 2013 and which brings together the Pontifical Catholic University, the University of Concepción, the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso, the Federico Santa María Technical University, the Austral University of Chile, Catholic University of the North, Catholic University of Maule, Catholic University of the Most Holy Conception and the Catholic University of Temuco.
“It is key that their historical role be recognized, their contribution to the development of the university education system throughout the history of our country. During this period, the contribution of traditional public universities to development has never been questioned. of the system. That is what we want to continue guaranteeing,” he said.
As a result of the preferential treatment with public universities, Saavedra indicated that “it is worrying when this could be done to the detriment of our universities; and to indicate that for us the attention that the State should have towards state universities is absolutely natural, since they depend on him by filiation and corresponds to him a special task that is already guaranteed in terms of law”.
“Preferential attention to state universities is already enshrined in law, and what interests us is that it be guaranteed that for the G9 universities, this attention will not be detrimental to them,” he added.
Defending his position, the rector of the UdeC, stated that “the G9 universities constitute only 15% of the total number of universities in our country, and in all the indicators of excellence, we are above 40% of the global contribution in the country , particularly on patent issues”.
“From this perspective, this set of universities delivers and provides indicators of excellence in terms of scientific and technological results. But it also points in terms of excellence in the training of the new generations that will contribute to this development in the country from postgraduate training, ”he added.
On the other hand, he had words for the challenges ahead under his presidency, where he alluded to the importance of working with the Ministry of Education.
“It is vital that we can move forward with the Ministry of Education in having the universities that belong to the Cruch, that we can resume historical financing that was oriented towards infrastructure and resources for teaching,” he commented.
“On the other hand, with the Ministry of Science and Technology, we can create spaces that allow the development of infrastructure and equipment for technological scientific research. That there be mechanisms in which regional universities can also propose national programs in terms of research”, he concluded.
