📋 Tender Overview
To begin the analysis of the budget, the Education and Culture commission received representatives of teaching unions, specialists in Technical Education, students, non-governmental organizations and representatives of the University System. The Education and Culture Commission, chaired by Senator Eduardo de Pedro (Citizen Unit), held today, starting at 3 p.m., in the Illia room, an informative meeting on the Educational Budget proposed by the National Executive Branch for the year 2026. For this reason, teaching unions, specialists in Technical Education, non-governmental organizations and representatives of the University System were invited. Before starting the exhibitions, De Pedro highlighted that many sectors have asked us to participate in a space where society can be shown the reports that each of the sectors, unions, NGOs have regarding the 2026 budget. The speakers who shared their analysis and perspectives were: Maria Bielli, Colectivo Imaginar y Transforma; Patricia Rodriguez, National and Joint Union Secretary of the Argentine Union of Private Teachers (SADOP); Sonia Alesso, Confederation of Education Workers of the Argentine Republic (CTERA); Sergio Romero, Secretary General of the Argentine Teachers Union; Gerardo Marchesini, director of the Pre-University School of Vocational Training; Laura Penacca, former coordinator of the Conectar Igualdad Program; Martin Nistal and Victor Volman, representatives of the Observatory of Argentines for Education; Sandra Torlucci, rector of the National University of the Arts; Carlos Defeo, Secretary General of the National Federation of University Teachers (CONADU); Walter Merkis, General Secretary of the Argentine Federation of National University Workers (FATUN) and Daniel Ricci, General Secretary of the Federation of University Teachers (FEDUN). Representing the privately managed teaching workers (SADOP), Patricia Rodriguez, declared that teachers have been suffering a constant deterioration in our teaching salary and working conditions, clearly affecting educational quality as a whole; She also referred to the Governments policy of adjustment and wanting to maintain fiscal balance at any cost because a country that defunds its educational system has no future. Regarding the role of the State, Sonia Alesso stated that for education to improve, long-term State policies are required; education is not resolved in a presidential mandate but requires very broad consensus to be able to carry out policies at both the mandatory and university levels and see their fruits. She also added, this requires planning and public policies that previously existed mainly through the National Education Law and the Educational Financing Law, which obtained broad consensus and were voted almost unanimously. To conclude, Rector Torlucci emphasized that without education there is no culture and argued, if we do not have financing or allocations, it is inevitable that university quality falls and we are at a critical and limit moment. Teachers leave because, sometimes, their salary is not even enough for them. to pay travel expenses, which translates into a lack of respect for State policies and consensus. Photos: Institutional Communication
