Council of Rectors begins round of dialogue on higher education with parliamentarians

At a breakfast meeting held today at 8:30 a.m. at the Central House of the University of Chile, the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH) presented to a group of senators from the Finance and Housing committees the proposals and plans to address various issues of higher education, which are on the work agenda with government authorities and on which it is hoped to move forward quickly.

Heritage reconstruction, student aid, and the law authorizing long-term debt for state universities were the main topics discussed at the meeting.

Particular emphasis was placed on the heritage reconstruction of universities, whose figures were described by PS senator Camilo Escalona as "worrying" due to their amount and urgency.

«"Universities have seen their endowments reduced by 27 billion, so this is an issue that must be addressed now that the review of next year's Budget Law is beginning," the congressman stated. "I believe it is untenable to think, with the Bicentennial approaching, that a portion of the national patrimony, such as that held by universities, will simply slip away without any state investment through the Budget Law in the coming years. For me, it is impossible to imagine a Bicentennial with public universities neglected," he concluded.

For his part, Socialist Party Senator Juan Pablo Letelier stated that "the reconstruction of heritage sites is not included in the government's reconstruction policies. It seems that the reconstruction of heritage sites (in the case of universities) is considered a matter for academics, and that's not the case. We are talking about who we are as a country. We need the government to understand that the amount needed to rebuild the universities, as they were before the earthquake, is the responsibility of all Chileans.".

Senator Ricardo Lagos Weber of the PPD party stated that this is an issue that transcends political party differences. "Universities fulfill a public function, a social role, and I hope that more members of parliament and senators will raise their voices on this important issue," he added.

Another relevant topic was student aid, specifically the 30,000 peso scholarship granted to the affected students, which has been requested to be extended and its amount increased.

«We must continue with this scholarship. We have stated that the current amount is insufficient, as it does not cover the needs of the affected students,» said Víctor Pérez, Executive Vice President of the Council of Rectors. He also referred to the 2011 Budget, emphasizing that «it must have the necessary resources to maintain student aid, core funding, and continue with important projects such as MECESUP.».

The law authorizing long-term debt for state universities was also discussed at the meeting. "The issue was addressed with the understanding that its purpose is the development of infrastructure and equipment, not debt incurred to repair earthquake damage," concluded Rector Pérez.

At the end of the meeting, it was agreed to hold a series of additional meetings with all the parliamentary groups, as well as with government authorities, during this year, in order to continue the work and be able to incorporate new topics and proposals for an in-depth debate on higher education reforms in Chile.

Senators Camilo Escalona, Juan Pablo Letelier, and Ricardo Lagos Weber were present at the meeting. The Council was represented by its Executive Vice President, Víctor Pérez (University of Chile), and Rector Alfonso Muga (Catholic University of Valparaíso), along with the rectors of the universities in the areas affected by the February 27 earthquake and tsunami: Álvaro Rojas (University of Talca), Juan Manuel Zolezzi (University of Santiago), and Alberto Larraín (Vice-Rector for Economic Affairs at the University of Concepción). Representatives from the Council's strategic committee, Rector Aldo Valle (University of Valparaíso), and Guillermo Marshall (Pro-Rector at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile) also participated.