Economic Commission
“The Council has stated very clearly, and unanimously, that it is important, fundamental, to resolve the problem of non-detriment in the short term,” said the executive vice president of CRUCH, Emilio Rodríguez.
The rector of the UC, Ignacio Sánchez, expressed that “for us this situation of detriment is particularly serious, because it means affecting the budgets that are distributed well in advance in projects for teaching, research, scholarships for students, benefits for the university community, and the quality of the work we do.”.
The Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH) is concerned about the implementation of regulated tuition fees, since with the current values established by the Undersecretariat of Higher Education, several universities have a significant deficit in the amounts they should receive from the free tuition policy in 2024.
The institutions most affected by the entry into force of the fees for approximately 5% of the careers are the Catholic University of Chile (UC), the Catholic University of Valparaíso (PUCV), the Catholic University of Maule (UCM), the Metropolitan Technological University (UTEM), the Metropolitan University of Educational Sciences (UMCE) and the University of La Serena (ULS).
In this context, “the Council has stated very clearly and unanimously that it is important, fundamental, to resolve the issue of non-detriment in the short term. It is essential that the agreements made at the beginning of the regulated tuition process be honored and that other mechanisms be found to prevent institutions from seeing their income reduced,” said CRUCH Executive Vice President Emilio Rodríguez this Thursday, June 29, at the session held at the Catholic University of the North in Antofagasta.
In this regard, the rector of the Catholic University of the Holy Conception, Cristhian Mellado, who is part of the Economic Commission of the CRUCH, stated that “it is necessary to work with the undersecretary to solve the short-term problem and also to project how it will operate when the 100% of the careers comes into effect.”.
According to Mellado, “since the tuition fees for 2024 have been decreed, what we need to see is how to compensate, through other funding sources, the universities that are suffering losses. Furthermore, it is important to simulate the entire system so that the model includes the condition that there will be no further losses.” He also stated that “once we can reach an agreement with the Ministry of Education, it is important that other government actors, such as the Ministry of Finance, also participate in this discussion so that we can quickly finalize the solutions.”.
On the other hand, the executive vice president of CRUCH and rector of the University of Tarapacá, Emilio Rodríguez, stated that “beyond this contingency, the Chilean higher education system is a very efficient, very effective system, but one that is subject to many tensions and in recent times has not had the contributions, in budgetary terms, that are consistent with what is required by a system that competes globally and that also has exemplary results internationally, particularly in Latin America.”.
The CRUCH plenary session hopes to meet as soon as possible with the Undersecretary of Higher Education to address these issues. “CRUCH is an institution characterized by its long-term vision and deep commitment to the public good, and within that framework, dialogue is, of course, the way to interact,” Rodríguez concluded.
Affected Universities
The rector of the UC, Ignacio Sánchez, expressed that “for us this situation of detriment is particularly serious, because it means affecting the budgets that are distributed well in advance in projects for teaching, research, scholarships for students, benefits for the university community, and the quality of the work we do.”.
He stated that for a few months now, “for a couple of months now we have been analyzing the issue, we have met with the undersecretary, we have shown the differences we have in the analyses, and we have reached mutual conclusions that there is indeed detriment.”.
Sánchez also stated that it is necessary to involve the Ministry of Finance. “Now is the time to do so, because we don't want to reach the end of the year or the discussion of next year's budget without a solution. The resources that will be requested this year have to be repaid, and we will have to see where those funds will come from, but we cannot restrict the budgets that we already had allocated because this changed on the fly. The new shortfall cannot be a process that lasts five years and at the end of the fifth year the accounts are balanced, because we will have four years with deficits in different programs,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, the rector of UTEM, Marisol Durán, stated that “after learning of the tuition fees published in the Official Gazette, the university faces a significant setback, because two programs offered here, Social Work and Library Science, have high enrollment and tuition-free rates, at 651% and 691% respectively.“ She noted that ”the university's funding comes primarily from tuition-free programs, which means that these programs in particular will experience lower annual and total revenues over the next five years. The institution uses these funds to define its priorities according to its institutional development plan.”.
Finally, Rector Durán indicated that "what we are asking for is that what both Undersecretary Eduardo Vargas and Undersecretary Verónica Figueroa had stated be fulfilled, in that there would be no detriment to the institutions.".
Structural fund of CTCI
The Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation (CTCI), Aisén Etcheverry, participated in the session and shared updates on the structural fund for scientific development and research financing, a commitment made in the presidential address. “Starting next year, we will have access to these resources, and that makes us very happy,” the Minister stated, while also calling on the universities of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH) to participate in the design of specific instruments that take into account the diversity of institutions and territorial considerations.
Rector Rodríguez stated that the discussion about how to implement new mechanisms for more structural funding of science and technology “seems absolutely valuable and important to us, because it recognizes that there are territorial gaps that exist in the system today and that must be closed. We believe this is a very substantial step forward.”.
International cooperation and other agreements
Another speaker at the session was the Chilean ambassador to Spain, Javier Velasco, who outlined some of the internationalization initiatives they are promoting, such as the possibility of coordinating admissions systems between Chile and Spain, the possibility of Chilean students participating in Erasmus scholarships, and the possibility of establishing think tanks for Latin America, the Caribbean, and Ibero-America based on Chile's experience.
“We would like to work together with you to carry out initiatives not only quickly, but also effectively and within the criteria that serve the model you are envisioning for the university development of our country,” the ambassador stated.
On the other hand, the renewal of the agreement between CRUCH and the National University Network (REUNA) was signed, which seeks to strengthen the relationship between both entities in order to foster a space for discussion, collaboration and linkage.
The day included a presentation by the host institution, the Catholic University of the North (UCN), during which its rector, Rodrigo Alda, highlighted the development and future of the institution.
Finally, there was a presentation by Air Brigadier General (A) and Space Director of the Chilean Air Force, Luis Felipe Sáez, who addressed aspects of the country's space and satellite development and raised with the rectors the need for articulation with the CRUCH universities.
Text: CRUCH Communications.
Photos: Catholic University of the North (UCN).
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