With the issuance of Decree 2271 of 2023, the National Government expanded free public higher education in Colombia, a policy that will cover technical, technological and professional programs. This is not, however, the first measure to guarantee access to this level of education for free. Since the government of former President Iván Duque, the zero enrollment policy had been implemented, which allowed students in strata 1, 2 and 3 to be exempt from these costs. In 2023, the requirement was that the beneficiaries belonged to the Sisbén IV group.
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What, then, is new in the measure announced by the current government? To begin with, the decree seeks to regulate Law 2307 of 2023, which was approved by Congress in July and sanctioned by President Gustavo Petro last August. Among other things, the standard mentioned that its objective was “to eliminate access barriers and guarantee educational permanence.”
One of the novelties of the decree is that it proposes an injection of resources to finance the policy. In fact, President Gustavo Petro announced that 2.8 billion pesos will be allocated from the General Budget of the Nation to implement it this year.
Among other things, the Ministry of Education will directly transfer to public higher education institutions the resources necessary to cover the net ordinary enrollment of the beneficiaries.
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The head of that ministerial portfolio, Aurora Vergara, maintained that the sector currently has a sufficiently robust budget to support access to higher education.
“This is one of the Government’s priority programs and we are going to go from 58 billion pesos in 2023, which is the operation of the entire sector, to 70 billion pesos. And, as we move forward, we hope to continue growing,” said the senior official.
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Meanwhile, the president warned that his objective is to guarantee that higher education is a right for all people who live in Colombia.
Indeed, another of the program’s novelties has to do with the flexibility of requirements to access this level of training. If before zero enrollment was limited to students from some socioeconomic strata, now this indicator will not be used as a criterion to deliver benefits.
This is one of the Government’s priority programs and we are going to go from 58 billion pesos in 2023, which is the operation of the entire sector, to 70 billion pesos
“The reflection that the Congressional team made as the deliberation of the law progressed was that in strata 4,5 and 6, which had not been previously considered, there is a hidden population that has important socioeconomic challenges. Then, the universities are going to identify which of these families require access to education through this means,” explained Minister Vergara.
Some specific populations that inhabit the country will also be prioritized, such as indigenous people, black, Afro-Colombian, Raizal and Palenquera communities, victims of the conflict, people with disabilities, peasant communities and people deprived of their liberty.
How to apply for the benefit?
To access free of charge in this higher education program, it is essential to be registered in the National Higher Education Information System (Snies) as enrolled in an undergraduate academic program (professional, technological or university technical), in one of the institutions of public higher education.
Additionally, it is key to keep in mind that the applicant who wants to enjoy the benefit cannot have obtained any degree from a university professional program.
This does not mean, however, that students who have accessed other educational programs provided by the Colombian State cannot apply for free.
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In fact, the decree issued by the National Government warns that those students who, on the date of issuance of the articles, are beneficiaries of the Generation E program, equity component, or of the Solidarity Fund for Education in the line of financial aid for payment of the enrollment of young people in vulnerable conditions, in public higher education institutions, in accordance with the provisions of Decree 1667 of 2021, they will be guaranteed the continuity of the benefit.
Now, it is worth saying that this free fee applies only to what the Ministry of Education defined as “net ordinary tuition,” which “corresponds to the value initially settled by public higher education institutions for tuition,” as indicated by the portfolio. ministerial.
In other words, this program will not cover other costs that students would have to assume during their academic period such as financial fees for intersemester courses, degree fees and extraordinary complementary charges, among other items.
However, the Ministry of Education has also indicated that, gradually, it will carry out intersectoral programs in order to allocate support support for beneficiaries who are in the most vulnerable conditions.
These additional benefits will be implemented in conjunction with other public institutions such as the Administrative Department for Social Prosperity (DPS) and Icetex. “One of the most relevant lessons that the pandemic leaves for the educational sector is the importance of recognizing that university well-being is fundamental for university success,” said Minister Vergara.
And he warned that we must also recognize the demand to guarantee that enrollment is accompanied by support that allows students to achieve academic success, a request that has been frequently mentioned by the country’s student movements.
There are still others pending
Ángel Pérez, professor at the Faculty of Education of the Technological University of Bolívar, said that although he celebrates the decision of the National Government to seek higher education as a guarantee, there are budgetary difficulties at other levels of training.
“We are investing in higher education, when we still have many problems in basic and secondary education. There are boys who study in schools that really do not have any facilities, almost in ranches with tin roofs and dirt floors,” said the expert. And he mentioned specific cases in dispersed rural areas where educational institutions do not have access to public services.
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Pérez also indicated that the new policy is focused exclusively on public universities, which had already been guaranteeing zero enrollment, not only for students in strata 1, 2 and 3. Therefore, he considered that the effect that this decision has on the educational reality of the country could be limited.
Additionally, he maintained that when designing these public policies, the role of the private sector should be taken more into account, which also provides services to Colombians in strata 1, 2 and 3, as it would give these populations more educational alternatives.
EDITORIAL TIME
2024-01-02 04:27:40
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