The march was convened by the Federation of Students of the University of Costa Rica in order to pressure the Ministry into accepting an adequate budget for the Special Fund for Higher Education (FEES) for 2024.
The Government and rectors of the five public universities will continue on Tuesday the discussion of the budget at a dialogue table. If an agreement is not reached, the decision will go to the Legislative Assembly and it will be up to the deputies to decide on the budget.
For the students, the fight is in defense of public education, with the State committed to investing eight percent of the Gross Domestic Product.
After the call for the march on Tuesday, the Minister of Education Anna Katharina Muller explained in a video released to the press that the Government and the rectors of public universities have negotiated the FEES since the middle of the year.
Muller stressed in her arguments that the march does not have a substantial basis. “Why hinder dialogue if it has always been open?” Muller wondered. “Let the dialogue continue, I defend education for all,” she stressed.
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