Universities feel sting of economic, political crisis

Venezuela’s economic and political crisis has sparked food and medical shortages, the world’s highest inflation rate and allegations of a power grab by the ruling socialists. But it is also threatening the country’s future by ravaging higher education, write Rachelle Krygier and Anthony Faiola for The Washington Post.

Universities here – especially the Central University of Venezuela, or UCV in Spanish – have long ranked among Latin America’s best. As recently as 2010, Venezuela was rated sixth in the region in the production of academic research. UCV’s faculty members in particular were recognised internationally – among them the award-winning poet Rafael Cadenas.

That national pre-eminence is now in jeopardy. Under the worsening financial pressure, students at some universities are dropping out in droves and many top-level teachers have joined a broader exodus of emigrating professionals. Campus violence is also surging, as the country’s economic desperation reaches epic levels. Severe budget shortages, meanwhile, have resulted in a rash of unlit classrooms, broken toilets, leaking ceilings and cracked floors.
Full report on The Washington Post site