Politics
President Hugo Chávez government's systematic onslaught on the private sector of the economy has raised the alarms of private education due to the new rules of the game under the new education law.

Article 6, number 2, item I confers the Executive Office the power to determine "the system to set tuition and fees, amount, increase and administrative duties and services." It also prohibits any other kind of legal entities, such as foundations or NGOs, for parents to help maintain schools.

Last Sunday in the TV show "Diálogo" (Dialogue), Minister of Education Héctor Navarro denied the removal of private education, as it is secured under the Constitution. However, spokespersons in the sector are dubious, particularly because the education law legitimated a practice exercised by the Executive Office since 2005 by unilaterally deciding the amount of tuition and fees.

Just control
According to Fausto Romeo, national director of the National Association of Private Education Institutions (Andiep), the move "restricts and finishes with private education. Removal of associations and foundations is not the most serious issue, but the aid received by some schools of the private, domestic and foreign business is cut. They will not be able to count on this support."

As for the exclusion in the education law of subsidies to private education, Romeo thinks that the benefit is left to the discretion of the incumbent minister. At the end of the day, Catholic schools would not be harmed, but their students.

The chair of the Venezuelan Chamber of Private Education (Cavep), Octavio De Lamo, did not hesitate to say that the underlying purpose is to undermine private schools. "Private property is attacked and there is the intention to suffocate schools with amounts which lag far behind the economic reality. The authorized increases do not cover costs and inflation."

Moving back
This was the term used by priest Antón Marquiegui, former president of the Venezuelan Association of Catholic Education (AVEC), who spoke on his own, about the elimination of subsidies in the education law.

However, Marquiegui noted the government aid to Catholic education and the recognition of retirement funds for teachers.

Translated by Conchita Delgado

Gustavo Méndez
EL UNIVERSAL