#UNIVERSIDAD DE LOS TRABAJADORES Y AL QUE NO LE GUSTA SE JODE SE JODE

[elbiotipo]

Se están tomando todas las facultades del país gente.

[iarajade]

Universidad de los trabajadores, y al que no le gusta se jode.

Postales de la toma en la UNA.

[vioredynamite]

Universidad de los trabajadores

y al que no le gusta

se jode, se jode

[hihereami]

Universities in Argentina are indeed free and open for everyone to enter - depending on the university you have to take an entrance exam to enter and/or pass a basic cycle of classes to get into your actual carreer. No, high school grades don't determine whether or not you get in. There is a widening gap between high school level and university level that makes it harder for people who went to "bad" high schools to pass the entrance exams but that has to do with an already existent defunding of public primary and high school education on par with these new attacks against higher education.

Also, as per 1918's reform, public universities are autonomous entities politically and students have direct impact over their uni's politics. There are several councils that determine each uni's internal policies, and many of these are student councils that have weight over the decisions. The national goverment can't meddle with what the university does - there's a budget and several controls in place about money but they can't meddle or intervene.

Autonomous also means cops and/or military can't enter university areas without a judge warrant, it's forbidden by law and, socially, frowned upon since it brings back the worst moments in local history.

Autonomous also means "libertad de catedra" - freedom of curriculum and of opinion. No persecution or scrutiny if a teacher or student gives their political/social/institutional critique. Also, covered by law.

It is understood historically that universities and students in Argentina have deep ties with the working and middle classes and that the worker-student solidarity is the basis for our society. Universidad de los trabajadores. Y al que no le gusta, se jode.

All of these things took blood, they took fighting. They are something we are proud of. Be proud, too.

To foreigners, specially non latin americans. Don't think a free, public university is impossible. We've got it and we're fighting tooth and nail to keep it. And we'll win because this isn't the first time they've tried.

If you want to know what's up in Argentina:

Argentina has, historically, the right to public FREE quality university for all citizens and residents on its soil. This is considered a right and, although the system has its faults, it's considered the pillar of Argentina's middle professional class and a tool for upward mobility.

Last week, against HEAVY popular citizen support for the national public university system, Congress decided to support Javier Milei's veto that halts the public university's funding to inoperative levels.

Although the goverment and other friendly politicians assure this is about keeping numbers balanced, the money the Argentinian goverment gives to the system is less than 0,14% of the GDP. This is ideological. This is about less rights.

The President has claimed in interviews before and after his presidency that he considers free university "a degeneracy" and useless, although the Argentinian public university system has been lauded internationally (with high global rankings of UBA, Universidad de Cordoba, UNLP and Nobel prizes for its graduates) and is considered one of the tools for the working class's social mobility and the creation of Argentina's professional middle class.

The response to these measures that directly goes against the people's wishes have been instant.

There are now massive university takeovers all over the country, including very conservative areas and faculties with a population that refrains from these measures and have indeed voted for Milei's Libertarian party. Argentinian's Student Movement is historic, relentless and goes back to the 1918 Reform. It has coordinated and birthed several historical moments country-wise and was famously targeted by authoritarian regimes (like 1976's US-backed Military Dictatorship'a genocide and 1990s Neoliberalist Menem's policies).

The last two decades the movement has been disjointed, even fangless, but it seems Milei and the Congress's blatant corruption and disregard for what is considered a basic right has awakened a dormant beast.

Keep an eye on us, alright? Please.