A worrying situation was revealed by some students at the Popular University of Cesar (UPC) in Valledupar, after finding themselves at risk in the first academic semester of 2024.
The public complaint made by one of the affected undergraduate students indicates that the University, with the academic period close to starting, would not have applied the discounts that correspond to the different programs established by the National Government and Ministry of Education, which benefit young people who are pursuing a professional career in one of the country’s public universities.
“What happens is that the University has not applied the corresponding values to programs such as: Zero Enrollment, Fedecesar scholarship, Generation E, among others, to which students are entitled. “As this has not been done, many students will have to pay up to 3 million to be able to start academic enrollment and what we do not understand is that the University does not provide a solution,” stated the affected student.
Given the situation THE PYLON He spoke with the rector of the alma mater, Robert Romero, who clarified the situation that several students were presenting. “This year there was a delay in the registration processes for different reasons that were presented and coincided, one of them was waiting for the value of the minimum wage to be specified by the Government, which is the basis for setting the value of the registration , this occurred until December 30 when we were already on collective vacation; Second, on the 29th, the last business day, is when the Government publishes Decree No. 2271 that regulates Law 2307 of 2023, which establishes the free policy. “This prevented us from meeting the registration schedule so we had to extend the registration deadlines,” he pointed.
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Regarding the students’ claims against the higher education institution for not having applied the corresponding values, the rector stated that although Decree 2271 has been presented by the Government, to implement it they want an operating regulation that the Ministry must present. of Education to the country’s public universities, however, it has not yet been carried out.
“This operational regulation is the one that will establish how the free policy is applied, which as presented in Law 2307 is gradual, it is not universal, that is, the regulation cannot be implemented, for that reason many are not so “We are beneficiaries today of the new parameters of the Free Law and from there other claims arise,” he added.
Romero emphasized that the students, who have been benefiting from each of the current programs by Mineducación in each semester, continue with the benefit for the first academic period of 2024.
THE SOLUTION
The measure that was implemented by the administrative body of the UPC is that, although the operating regulations have not yet been found by the Ministry of Education, students who have exceeded the established age limit of 28 years would apply to the benefit so that they can access the benefit. “It was a bold decision, because the operating regulations have not yet been presented, so as of January 16 we gave instructions to reset the registration fees and include those students who are already over 28 years old as beneficiaries of free tuition. Running the risk that the Ministry will tell me: that for this semester this policy will not be applied but for the next semester, this would create a problem for us, in addition to creating a balance against that student, but we trust that it will go away regulate that benefit”, Romero Ramírez said.
BY YUSTIN VARELA/EL PILÓN