Congress approved university law amendment to operate off-campus faculty sections

At the plenary session this Thursday, the Congress of the Republic approved the replacement text of Bill 730 proposing to amend article 31 of the University Law and incorporating sections of faculty or vocational schools into the academic system of public universities licensed.

The substitute text was exonerated from the second ballot by 97 votes and obtained 95 votes in favor in the first ballot.

WHAT DOES THE STANDARD ALLOW?

The initiative allows licensed public universities to establish sections of faculty or vocational schools as a permanent training space, located outside their local scope or headquarters, but only within their regional jurisdiction and after supervision of the National Superintendence of Higher University Education (Sunedu).

This regulation seeks to benefit students who reside in geographical locations far from the headquarters of licensed public universities, since due to the distance and several hours of travel, they are limited and in unequal treatment with the city's students, which prevents them from accessing higher education.

UNIVERSITY REFORM AT A CRITICAL MOMENT

On the other hand, earlier, Morado Party Congresswoman Flor Pablo considered that university reform is going through its most critical moment, commenting on the legislative proposals included in the agenda of this Thursday's plenary session of Congress.

Parliament will see the substitute text amending the board of directors of the National Superintendency of Higher University Education (Sunedu), which was pending a second vote, and the bill that grants a second chance to non-licensed universities.

“This is the most critical moment for university reform, hopefully the colleagues who voted for change in Sunedu, in the first vote, reflect and know how bad it would be for the progress of the reform,” Pablo said in an interview with the Andean Agency.

Flor Pablo considered that what they seek to question is Sunedu, which, he points out, has done important work to begin to improve the basic conditions in which university education must be provided.

“They see Sunedu as an obstacle,” he said, noting that the evidence of the work of Sunedu is the increase in research in universities, a greater number of full-time professors and equipment, with investment from both the state and the private sector.

He said that they will present a preliminary question on Thursday, to reject the first vote of the proposed change in the Sunedu board of directors and return to committee.

If the amendment of the board of directors is approved in the second vote, he said that they will request the Executive to observe it and Congress will seek the unconstitutionality of the law.

Meanwhile, with regard to the proposal to give non-graduate universities a second chance, he considered that it is equally worrying and “goes on the wall with the first”. “On the one hand they weaken the supervision of Sunedu and on the other they open the door to universities that did not comply, validating the scam,” he said.

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