Pronunciation for the dignity of the Yacuiba university

During statements made in Yacuiba, to the media on April 23, 2020, by José Quecaña of the Transitional Regional Executive of the Autonomous Region of Chaco, utilised language that violated the dignity of the Public University and which are aimed at guiding the actions of the State to provocatively violate University Autonomy.

For this reason, the "Autonomía" University Front affiliated to the FEBA and adhered to the IFA associative pact, pronounces:

First. The Repudiation of any declaration or intention by the Bolivian State to violate the University Autonomy.

Second We demand, a public retraction of the José Quecaña of Transitional Regional Executive of the Autonomous Region of Chaco, for his statements that violate the legal principle of University Autonomy.

Third Confirmation that, faced with threats to University Autonomy, the student body will unite in the sole cause of defending the dignity of the University.

Fourth We request solidarity support from the student movement, to stop any attempt to violate the grounds of the University Campus of Yacuiba. ■

Yacuiba, 24^th April 2020

Original statement
https://bit.ly/358MCkw

For context of the situation students face in Yucuiba here is a report from el Popular

For José Quecaña “the university autonomy does not matter” and affirms that the state will have the environments of the UAJMS in Chaco

The Transitional Regional Executive of Chaco, together with other local authorities, decided to use the University Campus of the Juan Misael Saracho Autonomous University (UAJMS), so that its facilities are transformed into a temporary shelter for more than 500 people with Bolivian nationality, who will return from Argentina after being stranded in that country.

The repatriation of Bolivians is scheduled for the first days of May 2020, the Minister of Defense, Luis Fernando López, together with the authorities of the Region, toured the environments of the UAJMS in Yacuiba, which will be used as a temporary shelter. or quarantine center.

Subsequent to this determination, the Rector of the UAJMS, Gonzalo Gandarillas denied the use of the environment for the installation of the Yacuiba quarantine center.

The Rector reminded the Chaco authorities of the existence of a co-government for decision-making within university autonomy, "there is a definitive legal impediment that makes it impossible to grant the requested university properties, due to the rule of law and why doing so otherwise -as provided by the EOU- commits the university authorities to authorize such legal nonsense and manifest illegality, before our own regulations, "explained Gandarillas, in a formal letter sent to the Minister of Defense.

In addition, he warned that following the request to use the university premises located in the north of Yacuiba, as a quarantine center, would put the continuity of the semester at risk, it was categorical, the students would lose the semester.

"The fact of following the request of his ministerial office, considering that the entry of compatriots would be the first days of May and they must be in quarantine for 14 days, would seriously jeopardize the health of our students and teachers who provide services in the Faculty of Integrated Sciences of the Gran Chaco - Yacuiba and would determine the loss of the semester ”

In relation to this response, the Transitional Regional Executive of Chaco, José Quecaña, recalled that all the infrastructures in the Region were built, with economic resources from Chaco, "no one has to oppose," he warned, explaining that it will be the State (referring to the central level), which will have the environments "the infrastructures in the Chaco are of the State (...) you cannot tell the State (referring to the response of the Rector of the UAJMS) that you are not going to provide an environment that the State built" Quecaña indicated. "Now there is a (negative) answer, it can be autonomous, not autonomous (referring with disdain to university autonomy) the State has to enforce," he said, stating that the UAJMS will not have the last word regarding the use of environments. from the Yacuiba university campus, infrastructure that must be transformed from the last week of April into a Quarantine Center.