Aleman Backs Away from University Funding Cuts after Protests


Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit


ALEMAN SAYS SIX PER CENT WILL BE GIVEN TO UNIVERSITIES
by Toby Mailman

MANAGUA, July 2 -- Following student demonstrations that turned violent
last Monday, President Arnoldo Aleman has verbally promised to comply with
the requirements of the constitution which establish that six per cent of
the government's budget is to be allocated to the universities. 

Confrontations between students and police on June 30 were the most
violent in a week of demonstrations provoked by the National Assembly's
approval of a presidential veto of the six per cent.  Although the
university funding is included in the constitution, it is still debated
every year as part of the process of approving the federal budget. 
Earlier this year, the National Assembly approved the six per cent by one
vote, but that decision was vetoed by President Aleman.  His veto was
upheld by the National Assembly last week, causing students to take to the
streets. 

At about six o'clock in the evening on Monday, members of the National
University Board negotiated a truce between police and students.  And
yesterday President Aleman verbally promised to fulfill the requirements
of the constitution and allow the universities to receive the six per
cent, as approved previously by the National Assembly.  If Aleman keeps
his word, some 282 million cordobas (approximately USD $29,841,270) will be
given to ten autonomous state universities. 

A letter sent by rectors of the universities to Aleman indicates that this
amount is only five per cent of the national budget, but Aleman insisted
that it corresponds to six per cent of ordinary income.  The constitution
does not make clear if the six per cent is only of the government's
ordinary income - such as taxes - or whether it is six per cent of all
income, including "extraordinary," such as donations by international
financial institutions. 

Meanwhile, in spite of the truce called on Monday, last night police
attempted to stop a bus carrying students from the National Agrarian
University, which was making its normal rounds, dropping students and
university employees off to go home.  The students shut the windows and
doors of the bus to prevent the police from entering and arresting them,
and residents of the neighborhood where the bus was stopped threw rocks at
the police.  After a while those inside the bus were forced to open the
windows due to the heat and lack of air in the bus. 
 
The police gave no explanation to either the university's lawyer or human
rights representatives from the Nicaraguan Human Rights Center (CENIDH)
for why they stopped the bus. 

In the end the bus was allowed to go.  The driver was told by the police
to return to the university instead of continuing its rounds, but instead
he continued to drop people off, escorted by members of CENIDH. 

                               FIN
 
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