University Law to be Debated Nationwide

Caracas, 12 Jan. AVN .- All sectors in the country will debate the University Education Law, which strengthens and guarantees autonomy in universities, affirmed Deputy Dario Vivas, representative of Venezuela’s Unified Socialist Party (PSUV) to the National Assembly.

Vivas added that the law gives the opportunity to the student community to question and create necessary structures to achieve and strengthen sovereignty, independence and self-determination of educational establishments, because it improves participatory democracy.

The legislator said the National Assembly Board of Directors is devising a plan of public consultation nationwide about the University Education law.

“This Universities Law should not raise a debate just for undergraduate students. It is a debate we must have nationwide, with all social sectors,” he said.

Vivas said the parliament proposes the lifting of the sanction of the law in order to “to reveal to the country that opposing sectors do not have arguments, nor political proposals; to make them foster free education, without exclusion; a participatory education with all sectors.”

Similarly, Dario Vivas said the law will strengthen participatory democracy exerted by students, academics and workers on equal terms, to define their management plans and education programs; intellectual creation and interaction with communities, to plan and manage budgets; to render accounts of the budget and other resources in universities.

Last Tuesday, during its first ordinary session of the year, the National Assembly unanimously lifted the sanction imposed on the Universities law, which was previously vetoed by the National Executive.

Meanwhile, PSUV Deputy Hector Navarro reaffirmed that the veto imposed by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on the Universities law last January 4 confirmed the President’s democratic nature.

“With this University Law, we are facing a significant challenge we must not pass up. This new era must bring positive results for us and the Universities Law is an example of it because we are talking about inclusive education. When the national government took office eleven years ago, there were just 600,000 undergraduate students. Now, there are more than two million undergraduate students,” Deputy Navarro said.

Edited by Venezuenanalysis.com