Here’s why Argentina’s public universities are paralyzed by protests

Associated Press

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — After 11 months in office, Argentina’s right-wing President Javier Milei has fulfilled his flagship pledge to eliminate the country’s monumental deficits by shrinking the public payroll, slashing subsidies and holding already low wages of state workers below inflation. That includes for university professors. The country’s left-wing opposition is in disarray after delivering the economic disaster that Milei inherited. So far, Argentina hasn’t seen the kind of major social unrest that has characterized past economic crises. But that could change. Milei recently vetoed a bill that would have boosted spending on university budgets. This struck a collective nerve, and drew major demonstrations, in a nation that has long considered free education a critical engine of social progress.