Mornings Blu 10:00 am revealed the audio of the extraordinary session 05 of the Higher University Council, in which José Ismael Peña
as the new rector of the National University and which lasted nearly nine hours.
The audio is from the final section of the CSU session convened on March 21 and in which it is evident that the minutes of the session were not signed that same day due to an error in the data of the place of issuance of José Ismael Peña’s citizenship card and not to discrepancies with his appointment.
During the session, the Minister of Education, Aurora Vergara, who was also presiding over the Councilconsults the councilors present if they have objections and regarding the decision and the appointment resolution, none presents any observations beyond the correction of the municipality that issued Peña’s ID.
Finally, the session adjourned, making it clear that the minutes will be signed once the name of the municipality and the place where the ID was issued have been corrected. of Peña that was clarified, it was Chiquinquirá, Boyacá and not Marinilla, Antioquia.
“That in extraordinary session 05 held on March 21, 2024, the Higher University Council completed all the planned regulatory procedures “in the law and in the current internal regulations, decided to appoint Professor José Ismael Peña Reyes as rector of the National University of Colombia for the institutional period between May 2, 2024 and May 1, 2027,” he points out during the meeting. Amanda Lucía Mora, general secretary of the University.
“Does everyone agree with this resolution? Do you have any comments on the resolution?” asks Secretary Mora.. And the councilors point out that the place of issue of Peña’s identity document must be corrected.
Before ending the session, the Minister of Education, Aurora Vergara, as president of the Council, takes the floor and asks If there are no additional observations to the resolution: “Then I would ask you to verify the data a little more to avoid situations of this style. So do a final review and this can be done later, right? This can be signed later, however, check the data carefully in the meantime.
Finally, none of those present expresses any other observation, so the Minister Vergara finally adjourns the session.
“So, counselors, I put it in your consideration to officially adjourn that session of the Supreme University Council. Well, have a nice night. Thank you very much,” Minister Vergara concludes.
Once the session on March 21 ended, President Gustavo Petro, through his X account, He expressed his disagreement with the designation made by the Higher University Council, and assured that “the delegates of the national Government respect the democratic decisions in the ballot boxes of students and professors for the rectories of the universities.”
The president also stated that it seemed like an “outburst that the CSU
has not chosen the person who won elections in all university levels. “It is an anti-democratic blow against the students, the professors, and the university workers.”
After the controversy unleashed, the Minister of Education finally never signed the minutes, and this led to José Ismael Peña will take possession in a notary’s office on May 2 and not before the CSU as is traditionally done.
Minister Vergara has offered several explanations, although the audio, at least in this fragment, would demonstrate that the decision is supported without apparent irregularities and with the unanimous approval of those present.
After the inauguration of Peña in Notary Office 14 of Bogotá, the Minister of Education assured that she was recording that “the designation document as rector does not record, in a complete and transparent manner, the discussions and the meaning of the votes that took place within the framework of the election”, so he would only sign the minutes of the session of appointment of the new rectorship when it reflects the truth of what happened in the session of March 21. And he added that “the minutes of the highest governing body of an institution cannot attempt to confuse, deceive or partially establish what happened at a transcendental moment in its history.”
Four members of the Higher University Council who participated in the session on March 21 (Verónica Botero, representative of the Academic Council; Ignacio Mantilla, representative of the former rectors; Diego Torres, representative of the teachers and Humberto Rosanía, now former representative of the National Council of Higher Education CESU) have asked to lift the reservation of the audios of the almost nine hours of the session and make them public.
Permission that was also granted by the former student representative Sara Jiménez, and even on June 14, Minister Vergara also authorized its disclosure, but making it clear that it must have the authorization of all the participating councilors, so at this moment the approval of the two presidential delegates Danna Nataly Garzón and María Alejandra Rojas is missing.
On May 7, during the Council of Ministers, the minister Aurora Vergara The inspection and surveillance of the appointment process of Ismael Peña was declared impeded as rector of the National University, so as not to be judge and party, so Juan David Correa, Minister of Culture, was appointed as ad-hoc Minister of Education.
In a first attempt, Minister Correa issued a resolution ordering the CSU to appoint a provisional rector while it was resolved. the legal situation of the appointment of Ismael Peña. This attempt ultimately failed due to lack of quorum in the Council.
In a second attempt, the Ministry of Education called an extraordinary session of the CSU on Thursday, June 6, which saw a change in 2 of its members. in front of the session of March 21, and approved with a total of 5 votes to annul the resolution of appointment of José Ismael Peña and designated Leopoldo Múnera, winner of the consultation, as the new rector of the Institution.
After this, Ismael Peña announced that he would hand over his position, and will file the “judicial, criminal and disciplinary remedies that may be appropriate.”, as well as a lawsuit against his appointment filed by Leopoldo Múnera and Rodrigo Uprimny is currently underway. Therefore, the Council of State will have the last word in this case.
Listen to the audio here:
Listen to full interview:
