Academic Freedom at the Crosshairs of Austerity in Latin America
- Endangered Scholars Worldwide
- 11 hours ago
- 4 min read
Austerity measures targeting public higher education spearheaded by right-wing governments have emerged as major threats to academic freedom in multiple South American countries. Sharp and rapid funding cuts disrupt ongoing educational activities, as well as restrict access to higher education for students who cannot afford private education, constituting a significant threat to academic freedom.
One of, if not the most severe, funding crises currently ongoing is that in Argentina. A yearly inflation of around 30% means that public funds reserved for financing higher education have eroded, disrupting university operations and causing deterioration in living standards for students, staff, and faculty. According to Argentina’s National Interuniversity Council (CIN), faculty and staff wages have lost around 37% of their purchasing power in recent years. According to the news platform El País, a union of university staff workers reported that up to 70% of their members have wages that are below the poverty line. Faculty unions also claim that the erosion in wages has led many professors to resign or seek additional employment.
This is not merely a result of economic crisis conditions. Instead, the financial plight of Argentinian higher education is primarily the result of the conscious efforts and choices of President Javier Milei and his far-right government. Data from the National Budget Office indicate that the cumulative real decrease in university funding since 2023 was more than 30 percent. The CIN’s calculations place the number 45.6 percent, considerably higher that the figures released by the government. The data show that the science and technology sector have been targeted more than others, with public funding for these sectors falling by 19.7 percent in 2025, significantly above the overall public spending decrease of 6.8 percent.
Not only has the Milei administration subjected higher education to funding cuts at a greater rate than other sectors, in the context of its crusade against public spending, it has also been blocking efforts by other political actors to provide crucial funds to public universities in Argentina. In the wake of widespread protests against cuts to university funding in 2024, the National Congress of Argentina adopted two University Financing Laws in 2024 and 2025, implementing spending increases to mitigate real losses in funding due to inflation, but the bills were vetoed by President Milei. Initially failing to reach a two-thirds majority to override a presidential veto, the bills finally achieved the majority threshold in October and were approved as part of the budget in December 2025. However, despite this, the Milei administration is still resisting the implementation of funding increases for universities. While an appeals circuit court ordered the government to implement the funding adjustments, the government further appealed the decision to the Argentinian Supreme Court, which is expected to decide on the matter soon.
Students and faculty have been mobilized since March 2026 in response to the government’s actions and engaged in a variety of protests ranging from marches to public forums and academic strikes. Recently, on May 9, 2026, approximately 1.5 million people gathered at Plaza de Mayo, in the country’s capital city, Buenos Aires, demanding that the government abide by congressional legislation and judicial orders. On May 26, 2026, students and faculty protested together in front of the Argentinian Supreme Court, organizing class sessions on public squares and streets. The same day, students at the University of Buenos Aires started occupying university buildings. The families of the students issued a public statement addressed to President Javier Milei, holding him responsible for the lost education days and demanding that he implement the law passed by Congress, in line with democratic rules and norms. Some protesting students also characterized their situation as one in which not just academic freedom but fundamental democratic rules are at stake, given the level of autonomy that the executive is claiming for itself.
Similar situations present themselves in other countries of the region, such as Chile. Upon being elected as President of Chile on March 11, 2026, the administration of the far-right José Antonio Kast announced sweeping cuts to public spending, including cuts to public higher education. Chilean students responded by taking to the streets in response. Recently, on June 3, 2026, more than 25 student federations organized under the Confederation of Chilean Students joined simultaneous marches in different cities and towns, in protest of the funding cuts. However, the response of the government has been more severe than that in Argentina. Following confrontations between protestors and the police, the police used water cannons and tear gas on protestors. 35 protestors, mostly high school and university students, were arrested, and at least 13 protestors were injured. A law student from the University of Chile who was present at the protest as an observer had to undergo surgery for facial fractures suffered during the clashes. Chilean police responded similarly to student protests on March 26 and April 29, 2026, against the Kast administration’s proposed austerity measures in public higher education in recent months. Government critics see Kast’s intended cuts to higher education as a means to curb societal opposition. On June 1, 2026, during his first State of the Nation address, Kast stated that those who destroy public property, which protestors are very frequently accused of doing, do not deserve free public education.
Students have also been mobilizing in Peru due to the underfunding of higher education there. On June 2, 2026, the Peruvian Student Federation went on a nationwide 24-hour strike, demanding increased public funds for universities, including the improvement of facilities and services for students at public universities, and increased participation of students in university governance. The student federation announced that they are planning to hold at least one more strike in a few months.
Endangered Scholars Worldwide (ESW) condemns the weaponization of austerity measures against higher education to curb academic freedom. The intentional underfunding of higher education constitutes a major threat to academic freedom and free inquiry by significantly disrupting the livelihood of students, staff, and faculty, as well as the educational activity carried out at universities. The repression of student and faculty protests against targeted austerity measures is a severe assault on their right to academic freedom. We urge the governments in the region end their intentional fiscal neglect of public higher education and respect their right of academic freedom. We invite the global community to join our call.
