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Public universities express concern about the national budget in higher education

La Universidad -

In a statement issued by the State University System, backed by all the rectors of the country's public universities, the concern is expressed about the lack of financing of higher education in the national budget. Similarly, a group of congressmen presents an initiative to financially support higher education.

 

“Despite the efforts made by the Universities to present projects, there are still many infrastructure needs that must continue to be met through royalty projects and it is necessary to strengthen this initiative with state regulations and policies that contribute to leverage new resources to invest in better conditions for a quality public higher education”.

 

In this way, the State University System expressed through a public statement the concern that exists in public universities regarding the issue of financing through the incorporation of new resources destined to the formulation, improvement and presentation of infrastructure projects and endowment to access resources fresh for the improvement of institutions.

 

The rectors of the State University System indicate that they have decisively supported the implementation of the agreements established between the National Government and the student and teacher platforms in December 2018, participating in the National Dialogue Table and in the technical tables derived from the agreement corresponding to the Royalties, ICETEX, Publindex and Human Rights issues, contributing its technical and academic capacity to advance in matters pertinent to the financial sustainability of public institutions.

 

Likewise, the SUE indicates that it attended the spaces convened by the National Federation of Departments and the tables organized between National Planning and the Ministry of Education to specify the respective support and the formulation, improvement and presentation of infrastructure and endowment projects to access fresh resources for the improvement of institutions.

 

"We note with concern that the current budget project does not reflect the resources to finance investment projects of the universities, and as a result of the effects of the pandemic, continuing to support higher education is gaining strength," says the SUE statement.

 

He adds that in that order the initiative of the Congress of the Republic is supported that seeks to modify the bill 439 of 2020 (Chamber) and 311 of 2020 (Senate) “By which the budget of the general system of royalties for the biennium is decreed from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2022 ", in such a way as to allow greater resources to be allocated for regional investment, to finance projects aimed at physical or technological infrastructure works in public higher education institutions that operate in their territory.

 

 

See SUE statement: http://www.unicauca.edu.co/versionP/sites/default/files/files/sue_rectores.pdf

 

 

Similarly, the rectors indicated that the support of the Senate of the Republic is required for the approval of this important modification that will allow 15% of the royalty resources to be invested in the public HEIs of the departments.

In this context, Senators Iván Darío Agudelo, Mauricio Amín, Guillermo García, David Barguil, Moisés Besaile, Antonio Luis Zabaraín, Ana María Castañeda, Ruby Helena Chagui, Criselda Lobo and the House Representatives Carlos Julio Bonilla, Jezmi Lizeth Barraza, Elizabeth Jay-Panga, Flora Perdomo, Alejandro Chacón and Diego Patiño presented the proposal to guarantee that the Royalties Budget Law allocates 10% to 15% of local and regional investment resources for infrastructure of Public IES.

 

 

Related link: https://mobile.twitter.com/ivanagudeloz/status/1331198154889441280?prefetchtimestamp=1606224027849

 

 

The rector of the University of Cauca, José Luis Diago Franco, supports the statement of the State University System and the initiatives that are being carried out in the Congress of the Republic, taking into account the adjustments that must be made to the institutional budget to comply with the various aspects that strengthen the university.

 

More Info:

 

University of Cauca Rectory

Email: rectoria@unicauca.edu.co