Open Letter to Congress Regarding Public University Funding

As the Rector of UPN, an institution devoted to teacher training, and on behalf of our academic community, I would like to take this opportunity to address you regarding the public debate on higher education funding. I wholeheartedly support the noteworthy progress represented by the Senate plenary session’s approval of the bill seeking to amend Articles 86 and 87 of Law 30 of 1992.

Although gradual, the restoration of funding for public higher education institutions will have a number of positive effects. These include a strengthened mission, better teacher protections, increased research output, and the ability to implement outreach projects that strengthen the relationship between universities and society. These changes will reinvigorate universities’ missions and contribute to a democratic and scientific project for our nation.

Two more debates in the House of Representatives are needed before the bill can be approved. That is why I want to stress the importance of supporting an enterprise that would reverse the historic debt owed to public universities. This initiative would enable us to bridge the gap in scientific and technological knowledge production. Also, this would allow us to solve the problems facing our country, such as its increasing dependence on the global economy, its inability to train teachers dedicated to research, and its serious brain drain and threat of losing the demographic dividend.

To strengthen research centers and expand the teaching staff, it is crucial to ensure adequate, sustainable, and progressive medium-and-long term funding for higher education institutions. This will help overcome the deficit in labor rights. It will also enable students to overcome historical barriers to physical and economic access to education. Students burdened by bank loans and family debt will benefit greatly from public investment in their future. This will serve as a countermeasure against the corrosion of character described by Richard Sennett and the public policies of contempt denounced by Axel Honneth. Daniel Santos’ bolero notwithstanding, I do not think that the only options for the financially disadvantaged are “the hospital and the prison, the church and the cemetery.” Today, we could open another door to education and forge a promising future for millions of young people.

Honorable Members of Congress, this is about believing in teachers and the scientific, technological, and pedagogical knowledge that universities provide. It is about valuing our universities as a public good and training researchers who are ethically and politically responsible and will serve our country and the Global South. It is about basing public debates on evidence and thoughtful arguments to create a shared culture and national project. It is about creating a public sphere that is informed by universities’ contributions to the country.

I hope the House of Representatives’ debates will result in justice and equity commensurate with lawmakers’ responsibilities regarding the country’s education system.

The UPN has made incontrovertible progress in defending public education and fighting for the dignity of the teaching profession. Our reach has been expanded by bringing the right to education to several territories, and training at the highest levels of doctorate, master’s, and specialization has been offered. However, as with other higher education institutions, we must strengthen our institutional development plan regarding coverage, research, quality accreditation, SABER PRO test results, mobility and internationalization, infrastructure, and teaching staff. These improvements are necessary to prepare the new teachers our country needs to address the challenges of globalization, new technologies, and the knowledge society. Most importantly, we must prepare teachers to promote peace by inspiring positive changes in people’s hearts.

We reaffirm our commitment to adhering to the relevant regulations of the Minister of Education and the Deputy Minister of Higher Education. This commitment includes not only financing, but also everything related to a complete higher education system. The laws of this system have not changed to meet the needs of today’s world, despite having been established 33 years ago.

When it comes to education, we must consider what is best for our country, society, culture, citizens, and future generations. Above all, this should be an ethical and political imperative, not a partisan one.

Honorable Members of Congress, I invite you to make a historic decision that will benefit our entire nation.