Education law seen as move to destroy university autonomy

Nicaragua’s parliament, dominated by President Daniel Ortega, on Thursday 31 March approved reforms that educators warn will weaken the autonomy of universities amid new rules that strengthen the government’s control over curriculums, programmes and chairs, write Ismael Lopez and Valentine Hilaire for Reuters.

The law establishes the National Council of Universities (CNU) as the main governing body, overruling the groups of academic experts from each institution that held those powers. The reform also cuts public funding to the Jesuit Central American University (UCA), an institution that is critical of the government and cradle of the nationwide anti-government protests that broke out in the Central American country in 2018. The rule was approved with 75 votes in favour and 14 abstentions.

“This reform kills the autonomy of universities that cost so much blood in Nicaragua. The government now controls the CNU, which until now was only an advisory body to universities,” said academic Ernesto Medina, former rector of the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua, the country’s largest university.
Full report on the Reuters site