The initiative, which grants and updates funding to public universities, was approved by a large majority in the Senate.

The university funding law was approved by the Upper House with 58 votes in favor, 10 against, and 3 abstentions. Drafted by the rectors of the National Interuniversity Council, it raises the budget to 1 percent of GDP.

The UNR rector celebrated the approval, thanked the legislators and the community for supporting the initiative, and stated that the law "implies finding a real solution to the structural problems we are facing and have been raising since last year." He also expressed confidence that the law will be able to overcome Javier Milei's announced veto.

Franco Bartolacci thanked all the legislators from both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate who supported this initiative and highlighted the efforts of the university community across the country. "Conditions are in many ways very precarious, yet everything that happens in the university environment continues to be sustained." He also thanked the public because "the University would not have gotten this far without the support that society as a whole has shown over the past few years."

The Rector explained that this law resolves the university issue and guarantees the minimum and essential conditions for its operation, and furthermore, "does not impose fiscal obligations on the state." The bill establishes where the funds come from and only affects 0,2 percent of GDP.

Furthermore, this law answers the question of what kind of country we want to build. "We are aware that the economic situation is delicate, that efforts must be made, and that there is a context of scarcity. The core of the discussion is that excellent public education, the production of knowledge, and science must be a priority, especially under these conditions."

“In a context of scarcity, we must take care of what happens in the field of education. Because even if the current situation tells us the problems lie elsewhere, there's no doubt we'll solve them better if we do everything right in education and science. To achieve this, there must be resources and decent salaries for teachers and non-teachers. No one can justify that 60 percent of them earn 200 pesos per month,” he added.

Journalist: Victoria Arrabal