The Board of Directors of the National University of Salta (UNSa) analyzed the impact of the latest requirements that Saeta and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (AMT) applied to access the free student ticket. At the recent meeting, internal strategies were discussed and put forward to alleviate the situation that, they say, led to “empty classrooms.” For this reason, they reported, it was decided to make the academic requirements more flexible so as not to lose regularity. The measure will surely cause controversy.
“There is great concern,” said the vice-rector of UNSa, Nicolás Innamorato. “The university is practically empty,” he added and assured that it is directly related to the limitation of student tickets.
Saeta requires that the student have two approved subjects per year to access the free student ticket. In addition to warning that it is a “right granted by provincial law,” Innamorato questioned the criteria for limiting access to the benefit since “a regular student is not one who has passed two subjects.”
According to the student centers, today there will be a meeting with the Minister of Government, Ricardo Villada, authorities from UNSa, Saeta and the AMT.
In dialogue with The Tribune, Innamorato pointed out that the restrictions that have been set since this year mainly affect the two ends of the academic process: entrants and those who are close to finishing their degree. “We have between 20 and 25 thousand students and of them, the universe of entrants and advanced students, are close to 10 thousand,” he explained about the representation of those affected. Among them, he included those who change their career, return to it or have to do their thesis and professional internships.
The regular student, he indicated, is not one who has passed two subjects, but rather one who “is enrolled and has a formal educational, training and academic path certified by the academic units of UNSa.” Innamorato specified that in the case of the incoming student, “he does not have an academic career and it may happen that he could not perform because he must take courses, regularize. He cannot be denied because he is starting his career. Also for re-entrants who leave the program, or in the case of a person who joined a specific career passed both subjects and changes career.”
While for those who are close to graduating, he indicated that “they are doing the thesis that takes between 1 year and ten months and so it becomes a necessity to go to consultations with thesis directors and many still do not work.”
For these reasons, he asserted, the Board of Directors of the house of higher studies met “to make academic requirements more flexible, for example that those who miss two practical assignments lose their regularity,” he asserted.
Regarding today’s meeting, the vice chancellor expressed: “We have the support of the governor to resolve the situation.”
Ticket upload
In yesterday’s ordinary session, provincial deputy José Gauffin spoke about the public hearing called by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which will be held on May 13 in La Caldera, in order to analyze the increase in the price of the bus ticket.
The legislator said that the update of the passenger transportation service rate to $743 requested by Saeta must be duly justified, with valid foundations that truly represent the need for an increase.
On the other hand, he indicated that the AMT should be in charge of providing a comfortable space, “where all the facilities are for users and organizations, with all the information at hand to discuss and enough time to do so.” He recalled that in the last hearing held in Coronel Moldes, this was not fulfilled.
“I hope that this call uses the proper mechanisms and is totally transparent so that all Salteños really know the reasons for the request to increase the ticket,” said Gauffin.
