The rector of the University of Costa Rica (UCR), Carlos Araya, questioned the position of the government of Rodrigo Chaves within the framework of the negotiations of the Special Fund for Higher Education (FEES) and assured that the Executive has shown little interest in addressing the approaches of public universities.
“We have established a strategy and what we have had is an Executive who does not want to and who not interested in hearing anything about public higher education”, he stated.
The statements arise after a group of students will take over the rectory building as a protest against Araya, for what they consider a little support from university authorities to their actions in the framework of the Fund’s negotiations.
One of the criticisms of the student movement is that the Rectorate has been “lazy” in the face of the government’s proposals and statements regarding the FEES, as well as in the face of the failure of the negotiation. In this regard, the rector pointed out that “I believe that we have not been lazy before the Executive.”
Rector of the UCR on the Government and the FEES_2.mp4
On April 21, negotiation was suspended between the Executive and the National Council of Rectors (Conare). That day, the Government He adjourned the session after learning of the counterproposal to increase public universities. Conare requested an increase of 2.9%, which would represent just over ¢17,000 million additional to the negotiation base of ¢593,484 million.
“The government of the Republic announces the lifting of the negotiations regarding the FEES in the face of the irrational and abusive demands of the university rectors,” indicated a statement released by the Presidential House chat.
Before the lack of agreementwhat corresponds is that the FEES 2027 be defined in the Legislative Assembly, as happened in 2024 for the FEES 2025.
Araya pointed out as an example of the tone and dynamics of the negotiation the response, which Conare received on April 21 from the Presidential House, after presenting information on compliance with indicators previously agreed upon.
“When the president of Conare (Jorge Herrera) responded to the Presidency of the Republic about compliance with indicators, the response was quite unpleasant to hear: ‘Save that, that’s like a supermarket list, that’s useless’”, he stated.
The rector recalled that these indicators They were defined in 2023 between the Government and the universitiesand defended that they have made important efforts to comply with them.
“What we are talking about here is a government that apparently shows that it is not interested in higher education,” he concluded.
