The students of the defunct Hispanic American University (Uhispam), whose legal status was canceled by the steamroller of the ruling Sandinista Front in the National Assembly on December 13, will resume classes on January 31, 2022 in the university campuses that are now administered by the National Council of Universities (CNU) and by the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua (UNAN).
“Everything that was Uhispam will continue to function from the concept of educational continuity, where the CNU is at the forefront and there is a whole team committed and enthusiastic to work,” assured the authorities of the governing body, also controlled by the government party. .
During an information session with students from the five Uhispam campuses, located in Managua, Masaya, Granada, Rivas and Jinotepe, they explained to the university students that they have the option of following a continuity plan led by the CNU and UNAN to finish their careers or they can withdraw their grades to transfer to another university.
“We have backed up all your information with the authorities that previously worked, they have given us their study records with their corresponding database”, the technical secretary of the CNU, Jaime López Lowery.
The plan contemplates that students receive classes in the same Uhispam campus, with the exception of the Jinotepe campus, which will be transferred to Farem-Carazo. As they indicated to the students, at the end of the degree they will receive a degree from the UNAN or the Antonio de Valdivieso International University (UNIAV), which will support the Rivas campus, because the Uhispam – they reiterated – no longer exists.
“I want to publicly acknowledge UNAN-Managua and UNIAV, who did not hesitate to contribute to us, with a very great spirit of collaboration and cooperation,” said López Lowery.
Participating in the informative session with the students were López Lowery, from the CNU, Johana Tórrez, who was presented as general coordinator of Educational Continuity, but who is director of Postgraduate and Continuing Education at UNAN; and Uhispam teachers, Maricela Tenorio and Eloy Romero, who are academic coordinators of the Strategy at the Rivas and Managua campuses.
Reduce monthly cost
According to the students who participated in the meeting, the authorities informed them that a general modification was made in the cost of the monthly payment, which previously had a range of between 50 and 35 dollars, and now it will cost 30 dollars for everyone.
“The cost of the monthly payment has been reduced and will be equal for all.” In this way, there would be “a significant improvement regarding the payment of monthly payments, graduation modalities and title procedures,” they explained.
However, students who had some type of scholarship could be affected by this reform because there were some who paid less than 30 dollars. After the concern expressed by the students and parents, the aforementioned representatives explained that the day they return to classes they will analyze each case to see if they meet the average required to maintain the scholarships.
“They told us that the scholarship will not be taken away from us as long as we meet that average. In my case, I had a 40% scholarship and had to maintain a quarterly average of 85%. However, many students did not reach that percentage and Uhispam did not take away their scholarships because they did not regularly review them, so now they have that problem”, explains a student who spoke with CONFIDENTIAL.
The Uhispam awarded cultural, sports and academic scholarships. Most were not full scholarships, but there were students who had up to 80% scholarship.
UNAN workers are already in the venues
The university students consulted by CONFIDENTIAL They explained that at least in the central precinct located in Managua, UNAN personnel are already working, from the doorman to the one in charge of cleaning. They wear the uniform of that institution. However, they do not know if the teachers will be from that university or not.
“We started the term in December, we had about 15 days after it started when they canceled the personería, so we already had the classes registered and they told us that we are going to resume the same classes, but we don’t know if it will be with the same teachers that we were,” another student explained.
The general coordinator, Johana Tórrez, assured that They have to “ensure the quality of the teachers who will be working with us for the quality of the teaching-learning process, and for the qualities of attention that you (students) receive in these spaces and in all the venues”.
The students say they are calmer in the face of the CNU’s response, since the cancellation of the legal status of this university, which was headed by businessman Leonardo Torres, a former FSLN ally, took them by surprise.
“This was quite shocking news, it was known on a Sunday and by Wednesday the university no longer existed. Now with this answer, I think we calm down a bit and try to pick up; For my part, the only thing I want is to go out, for him to give me my diploma. I don’t know if they alone are going to take us out and close down definitively,” commented a student who is one term away from finishing her degree.
