Universities under attack
Newsletter 04/2024
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Just one month after the massive Memorial Day march on March 24, when more than half a million people took to the streets across the country to demand truth and justice, on Tuesday, April 23, the Federal University March against savage budget cuts to the 36 national universities brought together more than a million people, with some 800,000 protesters according to UBA estimates filling the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires alone. After the inauguration of the far-right government, academic salaries have suffered drops of 50 percent and university budgets were frozen at the values assigned from the previous year despite accumulated annual inflation figures that are close to 300%.
In the days prior to the demonstration, the government and its corporate media allies sought to install the news of a “budget agreement” with increases of between 70 and 90%, a flat-out lie immediately dismissed by the Argentine University Federation. As the Chequeado.com website explains, the “increase” was of just 3.4%, unilaterally decided by the government and restricted to operating expenses, while universities continue to suffer losses of approximately 70% of their annual budget, putting the arrival at the end of the school year and indeed the future of public education as a whole at risk. [Read the document of the Federal University March] [Letter of support from Observatorio Argentino]
Meanwhile, and while poverty rose to its highest level in twenty years and consumption contracted by more than 25 percent, the IMF itself revised its forecast from the previous year, anticipating, instead of economic growth of around 2.8%. a recession of the same size — still more optimistic than the Central Bank’s own estimate, which predicts a contraction of 3.5%. To the drop in pensions of around 38% (placing Argentina in last place in the world according to the Global Pension Index) and the escalatory increases in prepaid medical plans by 150% (obliging the “libertarian” free-marketeer Government to adopt regulatory measures), a public health crisis has widened in recent months. Faced with the most serious dengue fever epidemic in history (with a growth of 2,153% in cases compared to the previous year), the government ruled out applying the vaccines that Brazil is already successfully implementing, and did not even declare a health emergency to increase production of anti-mosquito repellents, practically impossible to find in supermarkets and pharmacies (according to the Minister of Health, Mario Russo, the solution was to buy them on Amazon). Even more serious, cancer and chronic disease patients have begun to die due to the national government’s suspension, since February, of the delivery of critical medications.
Science, education and culture
Public higher education agencies
For another year, the prestigious international ranking of academic institutions Scimago positioned the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET) of Argentina in 2024 as the best government science institution in Latin America and number 20 among government research institutions around the world. However, ignoring its international positioning, its trajectory, but above all, its relevance for national development, the libertarian government subjects CONICET and the entire national scientific and university system to a dismantling that includes budgetary strangulation, the dismantling of its institutions and the dismissal of human resources and that threatens their bankruptcy and paralysis and a new brain drain in Argentina.
The dismissal and disengagement of staff from CONICET institutes and other national organizations began with the sending of telegrams during the last week of March and continued during the first week of April, when employees of the Scientific Pole in Buenos Aires were forced to line up at the door of their workplaces to be informed if they could continue working or would be dismissed from their tasks.
This dismissal of the staff was an arbitrary and unjustified decision by the Executive Branch of the Nation, which was rejected by the members of CONICET’s board of directors, who denounced that the dismissals put the normal functioning of the institution at risk.
Likewise, the operational and budgetary paralysis of the National Agency for the Promotion of Research, Technological Development and Innovation (R&D+i), the main financing body of the scientific system, led to the resignation of all the members of its board of directors.
“President of Conicet says social sciences funding can be postponed”: The head of the National Council of Science and Technology (CONICET) announced that “the human sciences could suffer greater defunding or see the number of scholarships reduced” arguing that although all sciences are important, “in a situation of adjustment when the sheet is short,” it was preferable to invest in projects linked to the development of technical applications. The question that arises is who is going to investigate the social impact and environmental aspects of new applications? It was also suggested that humanist disciplines could move altogether from being funded through CONICET to the budgets of individual universities, ignoring that currently, scientific and technical innovation is being developed within the framework of interdisciplinary teams that include the humanities and social sciences.
National Atomic Energy Program
The National Atomic Energy Commission stopped the construction of its two flagship projects. As all state agencies in Argentina, the National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA) is operating with the extended 2023 budget. Although they initially received payments due from the previous year, they did not obtain financing from the 2024 budget until the end of March, when only 11% of the budget planned for this period was being deposited. This includes funds for salaries and scholarships, which are secured only until June. Due to the budget bottleneck, on Monday 03/26/2024 the CNEA stopped construction of its two flagship projects. These are the CAREM and the RA-10, which are in very advanced stages. Both projects could put Argentina at the technological forefront and provide millions in foreign currency. The CAREM (Argentine Central of Modular Elements) is a nuclear reactor of entirely national development, which combines state-of-the-art technology, high security and low cost. This reactor has been described by the International Nuclear Energy Agency as the most advanced of its type globally. Its design will allow it to supply energy in isolated areas and support large industrial projects with high energy requirements, such as desalination plants.
Its completion would position Argentina at the forefront of the global nuclear industry, stimulating the creation of technological companies and generating thousands of highly qualified jobs. As for RA-10, this multipurpose reactor is almost completed at the Ezeiza Atomic Center. Its development is essential for the national production of radioisotopes and doped silicon, both crucial for nuclear medicine and advanced technologies such as alternative energies and electric vehicles. The RA-10 will not only guarantee self-supply of radioisotopes, but will also allow their export. Thus, RA-10 will facilitate the country’s establishment as a global exporter of high value-added products. The completion and launch of the RA-10 was scheduled for 2026. The political decision of the libertarian government puts at risk the continuity of the CNEA programs, an institution that has 70 years of experience and that has put Argentina at the vanguard of nuclear development.
Universities and education
After repeated efforts by the rectors who met in the Science, Technology and Arts Commission of the National Interuniversity Council, they called on those who work in the scientific and educational field to mobilize in defense of the public university on April 23, 2024. The suspension of funding for universities threatens the continuity of both academic and scientific activity carried out in university research institutes. It also affects the scientific activity carried out within the framework of international projects and teams, the most worrying consequence of which is the emigration of scientists in training, the critical mass, which guarantees scientific progress, technical innovation and the affirmation of political and cultural pluralism in the country.
The measures adopted in the first 100 days of the Milei government reflect its intention to defund public education, renunciation of the national joint venture, dissolution of the Educational Fund, among others. Likewise, after deregulating the price of private education, the libertarian government ordered the transfer of funds from the public to the private system through the implementation of a voucher system with the purpose of “assisting the middle class”.
UNICEF has questioned the statements of Bernie Benegas Lynch, a parliamentarian of Milei’s Libertad Avanza, who questioned the mandatory nature of education. While UNICEF highlighted that minors not only have the obligation to go to school, but also have the right to receive an appropriate education, former secretary of culture Pablo Avelluto remarked that his father had to work from the age of eight and that if he were alive, “he would go to the ignorant deputy to tell him what child labor is all about”.
How are scientists and universities organizing to resist?
In response to the adjustment and systematic attacks by the national government on scientific institutions and individuals, in January 2024 the Argentine Network of Authorities of Science and Technology Institutes (RAICYT) was created. The function of the network goes beyond the defense of the country’s scientific system. The deployment of linkage activities with science institutions around the world, for example, the writing of documents, announcements and meetings, establishes the position and protects the integrity of the national scientific and technological system as a member of the international scientific system.
Likewise, foundations and the media have created spaces for exchange in order to publicize the current scenario of science, culture and education organizations and reflect on their link with the state. Specifically, they refer to the impact of the defunding of the scientific system and “the cultural battle” led by the government against educational and cultural personnel and organizations. The absence of a long-term plan for the scientific sector reveals the government’s poor capacity to understand the complexity of the area and present policies in accordance with the demands and needs of national development within the framework of knowledge societies. Scientists and independent journalists have also begun disseminating, beyond specialized publications, the situation and proposals regarding the current attacks on the sector.
Culture
The undermining of Argentine culture by the libertarian government reached the international press through statements from prominent figures. Film directors, musicians and representatives of the publishing sector highlighted their concern regarding the devastating consequences of budget reduction, personnel layoffs and the threat of elimination and/or privatization of cultural organizations. Carlos Luis Pirovano, president of INCAA (National Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts), suspended the reception of film projects for 90 days and has implemented privatization policies and cuts in the sector, affecting platforms such as Cine.Ar and the National School of Film Experimentation and Production (Enerc). These decisions put at risk a sector that not only employs nearly 700,000 people but also contributes significantly to Argentina’s GDP, returning state investment five times to the real economy. Finally, President Javier Milei ordered the closure of INCAA to relocate personnel and reassign their respective tasks. Prestigious pianist Marta Argerich spoke out regarding the interruption of the Scholarship Program that bears her name and the dismissal of teachers and musicians from children’s orchestras.
Libraries, no!
In an open letter, “About the National Library — Memory is in Danger!” addressed to President Javier Milei, the Minister of Human Capital, Sandra Pettovello, the Secretary of Culture, Leonardo Cifelli and the director of the National Library, Susana Soto Pérez, a group of artists, scientists, teachers and writers have expressed their repudiation of the 121 layoffs registered in the National Library and the budget freeze. Read more on “Defense of Libraries against the systematic attack on Argentine culture, science and education”.
There’s no money — and no ideas either!
The government decided to reduce the budget allocated to the translation of literary works by Argentine authors within the framework of the Programa Sur. The budget was reduced from US$ 320,000 in 2023 to US$ 20,000 in 2024. The consequence of this budget adjustment will result in a decrease in the number of titles translated, from 120 in 2023 to 10 in 2024.
As happens in other areas of activity, such a radical reduction of the budget intended to finance public policies is not accompanied by a public debate on the relevance of the financed activity, nor by proposals regarding its financial sustainability as part of the activities deployed by the Foreign Affairs Ministry, aimed at positioning Argentine literature in the world.
Human Rights
Dismantling of the Archival Analysis Team at the Ministry of Defense
In a context of stagnation of trials against humanity against repressors of the last civil-military dictatorship since the inauguration of Milei’s denialist government, the Ministry of Defense led by Luis Petri (UCR) announced the dismantling of the team of specialized professionals in charge of investigating the archives of the Armed Forces created in 2010. Since its creation, the Survey and Analysis Team has carried out surveys of more than 17 thousand documents and issued more than 170 reports that provided evidentiary material in various trials against humanity. In a protest note signed by 36 prosecutors before the interim prosecutor Eduardo Casal, the signatories denounce that with this decision Argentina fails to comply with obligations assumed in international treaties and that the Milei government “attacks the development of trials and causes against humanity.” . The measure was also denounced by unions and human rights organizations, including Madres y Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, Memoria Abierta, HIJOS and CELS. Buenos Aires legislator Victoria Montenegro made a presentation before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and requested the intervention of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Promotion of Truth, Justice and Reparation in repudiation of the measure.
ADIUNJU repudiates persecution of teachers at the National University of Jujuy
The Association of Teachers and Researchers of the National University of Jujuy (ADIUNJU) issued its repudiation of the statements of the former governor of Jujuy, Gerardo Morales, who accused two teachers of the casa casa of being part of a “criminal group” and of having organized an attempted “coup d’état” in June 2023. These accusations are based on the alleged participation of these teachers in a WhatsApp group related to the cause of those “Imprisoned for Tweeting”, citizens arbitrarily detained a few months ago for publishing on a social network opinions contrary to those of the former governor. Morales (UCR) publicly stated that, for this reason, the teachers were involved in criminal activities. The ADIUNJU warns that these accusations represent a clear criminalization of research and the participation of teachers in social organizations, putting at risk the university academic autonomy and the social participation of university students in the life of the Jujuy community. In addition, they express concern about possible espionage actions against teachers, demanding guarantees of judicial impartiality, freedom of expression and respect for ideological diversity and privacy. Read the full repudiation note on the ADIUNJU union’s channel.
Opinion pieces and interventions from Observatorio members
Cecilia Milesi & Samuel Sharp, “100 days of President Milei: Argentine democratic resilience under threat?”, ODI, 18 March 2024
Andrés del Río, “Milei na presidência: a política da fome”, Latinoamérica 21, 18 de março 2024.
Cara Levey, “Argentina: Javier Milei’s Government poses and Urgent Threat to Human Rights”, The Conversation, March 27, 2024.
Events and activities
Archives under threat
The Observatorio’s support team for archives under threat is working to offer logistical support to archives and internet sites in Argentina threatened with closure due to censorship or depletion of funds. We have already managed to organize an agreement with the digital humanities association of the US and Argentina and work has begun to archive websites that are at risk — to date 12 complete websites with full functionality have been archived. The team is applying for scholarships to obtain supplies (scanner, printer, external hard drives) and funds to pay for digitization labor. If any member of the Observatorio has the possibility of applying for internal or external funds at their university, the team asks that they contact the group. To suggest website links that require the support of the Observatorio, please enter them in this anonymous form.
Pre-Conference “Argentina in focus: six months of libertarian government” (virtual/in-person), Bogotá, Colombia, June 11, 2024. Observatorio Argentino in collaboration with LASA Sección Cono Sur. Programa — Inscripción
Roundtable EASA Congress 2024
European Association of Social Anthropology, Barcelona, July 18, 2024, 7 pm.
Argentina as an ultraliberal laboratory: exploring neoliberalism at all costs
Invited speakers: Dolores Señorans (UBA/Cambridge), Victoria Manzando (presidenta del Instituto de Ciencias Antropológicas de la UBA) y Denis Merklen (Sorbonne-Nouvelle).
(In one of our forthcoming newsletters we will circulate information to connect without conference inscription)
Observatorio Argentino is an independent collective of academics, journalists and cultural producers from around the world, with a commitment to Argentine politics, culture, and society. To subscribe to our blog on Medium, please click here.
