Huge protest in Argentina against education cuts
On Tuesday, tens of thousands of people took to the streets of the Argentine capital Buenos Aires to protest against cuts to public universities.
The protesters called for education funding to be protected. “We are trying to show the government it cannot take away our right to education,” said Santiago Ciraolo, a 32-year-old student in social communication protesting on Tuesday. “Everything is at stake here.”
The country’s new President, Javier Milei, was elected to office last year promising to bring Argentina’s finances under control with sweeping cuts to the public sector.
His government has kept university funding this year at the same level as in 2023, despite inflation having reduced the real value of the budget by as much as 80%.
MASSIVE PROTEST AGAINST MILEI in several cities of Argentina pic.twitter.com/aTgmLvi1Ds
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The rector of the University of Buenos Aires, Ricardo Gelpi, has warned that the institution may have to shut down within three months unless it receives more funding.
Milei has tried to justify the cuts by repeatedly describing state-run universities as centres of socialist indoctrination.
In his drive to reach zero deficit, Milei is slashing spending across Argentina — shuttering ministries, defunding cultural centres, laying off state workers and cutting subsidies.
On Monday he had something to show for it, announcing Argentina’s first quarterly fiscal surplus since 2008.
“We are making possible the impossible even with the majority of politics, unions, the media and most economic actors against us,” he said in a televised address.