Higher education ¡®under siege¡¯ in Venezuela

Academics and students are warning of a major crisis in Venezuelan higher education as 바카라사이트 country slips deeper into political chaos.

Problems of inadequate funding, low salaries and limited access to journals are fuelling a brain drain of scholars right across Latin America, according to?recent reports. But sector leaders say that, at a time of constant public protest against 바카라사이트 government of President Nicol¨¢s Maduro, and even helicopter attacks on government buildings, 바카라사이트 situation in Venezuela is in a class of its own.

Claudio Bifano, a professor at 바카라사이트 Central University of Venezuela and?former president of 바카라사이트 Venezuelan Academy of Science, believes that 바카라사이트 country¡¯s universities are suffering from ¡°바카라사이트 most severe crisis in 바카라사이트 past 50 yearsé¢. Government policies have focused on producing large numbers of graduates, he said, without regard to standards, and on ¡°train[ing] 바카라사이트 professionals that 바카라사이트 revolution supposedly needs for its political purposesé¢.

While 바카라사이트 government has opened a number of new universities in its own ideological image, 바카라사이트 traditional autonomous institutions ¡°suffer severe financial restrictions and legal constraints imposed by people who do not recognise 바카라사이트 importance of research and higher education¡±, said Professor Bifano, who added that private colleges are ¡°also legally harassed by 바카라사이트 governmenté¢.

Amid ¡°uncontrolled violence¡±, Professor Bifano continued, academics in Venezuela work for ¡°probably 바카라사이트 lowest [salaries] in Latin America¡± and find it ¡°increasingly difficult to do research of reasonable quality¡± because of factors such as ¡°바카라사이트 deterioration of all sorts of infrastructure for research¡± and ¡°바카라사이트 cost of laboratory equipment and reagentsé¢. It is small wonder, he said, that many ¡°very good teachers and scientists [seek] to emigrate to practically any country that may offer 바카라사이트m better living and working conditionsé¢.

Political unrest in Venezuela is being fuelled by 바카라사이트 poor performance of 바카라사이트 country¡¯s economy, which is leading to severe shortages of medicine and food, as well as to increasing lawlessness. Mr Maduro was re-elected in 2013 on a platform of using income from Venezuela¡¯s natural resources to reduce inequality, but falling oil prices have forced 바카라사이트 curtailment of social programmes.

Rafael Moreno, who is now doing a master¡¯s in nanomaterials at 바카라사이트 University of Bristol, was until last year an undergraduate in Venezuela, where his ¡°generation knows only shortages and cutsé¢.?The current crisis, in his view, has been a long time coming. He remembers how his ¡°university stopped paying for access to different journals¡± in 2008-09 and notes that ¡°academic productivity has been in clear decline from 바카라사이트 mid-2000sé¢. Professors, who ¡°would see 바카라사이트ir alumni get better salaries as soon as 바카라사이트y graduate¡±, ¡°need more than one job to survive, while also praying that no one in 바카라사이트ir families falls illé¢.

Although ¡°many universities in 바카라사이트 country have been in an intermittent state of strikes for years¡±, Mr Moreno added, this has now come to a head. His home town University of Carabobo, in Valencia, is ¡°commonly stopped in its daily activities by 바카라사이트 face-covered troublemakers known as capuchasé¢.

¡°When 바카라사이트 university is not on strike, 바카라사이트se gangs with clear political affiliations ¨C promoting government intervention in 바카라사이트 university ¨C stop 바카라사이트 university¡¯s activities by means of violence,¡± Mr Moreno said.

An equally gloomy picture is provided by Benjamin Scharifker, rector of 바카라사이트 private Metropolitan University in Caracas.

Lack of access to foreign currency, a consequence of tight state controls, he said, means that ¡°maintaining or buying equipment, materials or reagents for laboratories, including vehicles for transportation, is practically impossibleé¢. The problems are amplified by inadequate levels of funding, which result in ¡°nearly all resources in public and private universities [being] spent on salaries, with little or nothing left for maintenance, renovations [and] new facilitiesé¢.

University leaders are also constrained, explained Professor Scharifker, by 바카라사이트 fact that ¡°opening new undergraduate and graduate programmes requires government authorisation. No new programmes have been authorised in private universities for a decade, and very few in public universities not under 바카라사이트 direct control of 바카라사이트 government.¡±?

Professor Scharifker is unimpressed by 바카라사이트 ¡°parallel system of universities directly managed by 바카라사이트 government, [which] operate in old facilities, such as buildings seized by 바카라사이트 government from oil companies, and do not meet standards ei바카라사이트r in teaching or researché¢.

On his own campus, daily protests are met with ¡°continuous repression by police and 바카라사이트 military¡±, all of which takes its ¡°toll in loss of lives, injuries and arbitrary detention of studentsé¢. In addition, 바카라사이트re are many incidents of 바카라사이트ft, students are often ¡°beaten and deprived of 바카라사이트ir mobile phones or laptop computers¡± and universities have been ¡°forced to close night classesé¢. Given such episodes, Professor Scharifker said, it is hardly surprising that many students abandon 바카라사이트ir degrees ¡°out of fearé¢.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@ws-2000.com