Congress approved the bill that seeks to make tuition free in higher education institutions (HEIs) possible for undergraduate students in the country.
The zero tuition initiative made it past its fourth and final debate in the Senate. Now, only the presidential sanction is enough for what is condensed in Law 260 of 2022 to come into force.
We tell you some key aspects of the proposal to understand how the program would work.
(Read more: Higher Education Cost Index rose to 5.98%).
What comes with the ‘Zero Tuition’
The regulation establishes what will be the guidelines to regulate the gratuity in the modality of the undergraduate programs in the state HEIs. This in order to eliminate access barriers and guarantee educational permanence.
In order to ensure that there is no cost in enrollment, the financing of the program will be in charge of the Government through the General Budget of the Nation.
The article also highlights that this public policy will be adopted progressively and according to the budgetary availability of the Medium-Term Fiscal Framework and the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework of the National Government.
(See: Does the ILO support or not the labor reform?: This is what Andi and Mintrabajo say).
University students
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In addition, it defines that the academic requirements for permanence will be defined by the Ministry of Education.
The entity will also establish the measures to be imposed on those students who leave their training process unfinished and have been beneficiaries of free enrollment.
Similarly, the Executive will implement a verification mechanism for the delivery of economic support for maintenance, in order to prevent “a student enrolled in undergraduate programs of Public Higher Education Institutions from receiving more than one support from the National Government for the same purpose.”
(See:).
It should be remembered that A state program known as the Free Enrollment Policy or Zero Enrollment is already operating in the countrywhich covers students from only 64 public higher education institutions that have an agreement with the Ministry of Education.
The new regulations would allow the Government to expand the coverage of those who are beneficiaries of zero cost tuition, since this is adapted to the policy and goals of the government in power.
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