University march: Foreign students demand that Argentines pay for their studies

In the context of the university march held on May 12, multiple testimonies from foreign students who participated in the opposition political mobilization to demand that Argentines continue to finance their free education were recorded.

The statements generated controversy regarding the use of resources funded by local taxpayers by immigrants.

One of the cases was that of a Colombian student who attended the march with her child and highlighted the advantages of the Argentine educational system compared to her home country.

“I am from Colombia. It is a very big benefit (to study at a public university) because in my country there are many economic limitations, and here being able to come without your economic level and have a quality education,” she expressed.

Another testimony in the same vein was from a foreign student who also participated in the mobilization. “By supporting the faculty, I am very grateful to UBA for allowing me to study, which my country did not allow me to do. And that, supporting with my little grain of sand, and at the march later,” she stated, ignoring the millions of Argentines who pay taxes to finance her studies.

In the same statement, she added: “I am very grateful to the university, it is my way of expressing this gratitude towards UBA.”

The expressions of foreign students occurred in the context of a protest that has a strong political component and does not respond to a defunding of the university system, as institutions continue to operate under the current budget, guaranteed by the Government of Javier Milei in its entirety.

Foreign students in universities

Meanwhile, recent data released by the Government better reflect the situation in Argentina regarding students coming from other countries to study "for free".

The Undersecretary of University Policies of the Government, Alejandro Álvarez, reported yesterday that 40% of the students at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Buenos Aires are foreigners, a surprising figure.

Similarly, in the case of the National University of La Plata, that figure rises to 50%, reflecting the enormous number of immigrants benefiting from Argentine public money and systems.

Despite their large number, university authorities refused to charge a fee for those coming from abroad, allocating billions of pesos to immigrants and not to Argentines.

In that context, the participation of foreign students in the march once again puts the spotlight on the funding model and the management of public resources.