Argentine universities face Milei’s austerity measures with massive protests.
"The government has a systematic, methodical, and gradual plan to dismantle public education," said Ricardo Gelpi, rector of a University.
Argentina’s public universities will hold a massive protest on Wednesday, supported by unions and opposition parties, to challenge President Javier Milei’s severe public spending cuts.
In April, a similar protest involving hundreds of thousands forced Milei to reconsider a university budget cut, though the authorities of these prestigious—mostly free—institutions claimed the government failed to fulfill its promise of improvement.
The call for protest followed threats by Milei’s far-right administration to veto a law passed weeks ago by Congress to secure university funding amid an economic crisis with annual inflation at 236.7%.
“The government has a systematic, methodical, and gradual plan to dismantle public education,” said Ricardo Gelpi, rector of the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), the country’s largest university, in a statement.
The UBA ranks among the top 100 universities in the world, according to the QS ranking, and offers 110 undergraduate programs, six high schools, and five public hospitals—all affected by real-term budget cuts implemented by Milei since taking office in December.
“This is a government that is set to veto a funding law representing a very small percentage of the country’s GDP. It’s a government that is neglecting education, science, and the social aspect of universities. This isn’t about politics; it’s about demanding a future for our country,” he added.
Fiscal balance is the foundation of Milei’s economic plan, though critics argue that the cuts have been neither careful nor equitable, ultimately harming vulnerable segments of society and critical sectors like health and education.
The government has repeatedly labeled public universities as “socialist indoctrination sites” to justify the budget reductions, but has faced strong social resistance due to the high regard these institutions have among Argentines.
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