{"id":9102,"date":"2026-10-16T02:35:34","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T02:35:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=9102"},"modified":"2026-10-16T02:35:34","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T02:35:34","slug":"argentine-students-protest-on-campus-over-mileis-austerity-education-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=9102","title":{"rendered":"Argentine students protest on campus over Milei\u2019s austerity | Education News"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Judge fines government for failing to fund universities as protests over Milei\u2019s cuts turn violent.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Reporting from Buenos Aires<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Published On 16 Oct 2026<\/span>16 Oct 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThis cannot go on!\u201d students shout during an assembly in the middle of the central hall of the University of Buenos Aires Exact and Natural Sciences building.<\/p>\n

It is part of Argentina\u2019s prestigious public university system.<\/p>\n

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The faculty\u2019s central hall is covered with dozens of banners protesting President Javier Milei\u2019s spending cuts. Students have called an assembly to announce the occupation of the university, a traditional form of protest in Argentina meant to raise public awareness and pressure the government.<\/p>\n

They say they will take over the building for a day. Many students and professors here are concerned about the impact of Milei\u2019s austerity policies on public universities and say the future of free higher education is at risk.<\/p>\n

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Students gather in protest at a university in Buenos Aires [Lagmi Chavez\/Al Jazeera]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cOur best professors are leaving en masse. With salaries that cannot cover their basic needs, they are leaving for private universities,\u201d Emiliano Gato, a physics student who is part of the group, told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n

\u201cI dream of doing research and teaching at the public University of Buenos Aires. It\u2019s a prestigious school. But now, with this austerity plan, I don\u2019t know what will happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Public universities in Argentina have become a major battleground of Milei\u2019s austerity plan. Students and professors are protesting the lack of funding and the erosion of salaries, which they say is a major threat to the country\u2019s public education.<\/p>\n

Milei is implementing one of the harshest austerity plans in Argentina\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

Since taking office in 2023, he has laid off thousands<\/a> of state employees, shut down ministries, reduced<\/a> subsidies and cut government-funded programmes. The measures were meant to fight high inflation, which was a major problem in Argentina. Almost three years later, inflation has fallen to around 2 percent a month. Milei says his plan<\/a> is going well.<\/p>\n

\u201cArgentina is growing at a remarkable pace. We have now recorded 27 consecutive months of sustained growth, and today the country is expanding at four times its historical rate. This growth is being felt across almost every sector of the economy,\u201d said Milei during a recent visit to Washington.<\/p>\n

Ripple effects<\/h2>\n

But not everyone agrees. His plan is also having a profound impact on public education, welfare plans for people with disabilities, pensioners and others who depend on state support. The opposition has tried to block many of Milei\u2019s reforms.<\/p>\n

Last year, Congress overturned presidential vetoes and approved two laws, one increasing funding for public universities and another declaring a disability emergency. But Milei\u2019s government has refused to implement them, arguing that Congress failed to identify how they would be financed.<\/p>\n

A federal judge has now begun fining the government 100,000 pesos (around $70) a day for failing to implement parts of the financing law, which requires Milei\u2019s government to restore university salaries and student scholarships lost to inflation, regularly update budgets and provide funding for research, hospitals and infrastructure.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s why thousands of people took to the streets on Thursday to demand that the government implement it. All around Buenos Aires, long columns of people blocked the centre of the city as they called for a general strike. Although the protest was meant to be peaceful, it soon turned violent. Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets as protesters threw rocks.<\/p>\n

The plaza in front of Congress resembled a battleground. At least 25 people were detained, and several others were injured, including members of the security forces.<\/p>\n

Maria Teresa de Jesus is a professor in the University of Buenos Aires chemistry department. She says she makes around $700 a month and it has become difficult to make ends meet. \u201cI have come to this protest as a last resort. I am professor. I love teaching, doing research. I shouldn\u2019t be here,\u201d she told Al Jazeera. \u201cPublic education is crucial in this country, to make education accessible to all. And the government is ignoring it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many in Argentina continue to support Milei\u2019s economic plan. They are hoping the government\u2019s plan to exploit the country\u2019s vast natural resources will pay off and translate into more jobs, higher wages and improved living standards.<\/p>\n

But many others have stopped believing and are prepared to raise the stakes. They accuse Milei\u2019s government of protecting the interests of a privileged few while asking the rest of the country to bear the cost of his economic plan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Judge fines government for failing to fund universities as protests over Milei\u2019s cuts turn violent. Reporting from Buenos Aires Published On 16 Oct 202616 Oct 2026 \u201cThis cannot go on!\u201d students shout during an assembly in the middle of the central hall of the University of Buenos Aires Exact and Natural Sciences building. It is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-international-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t