Venezuela’s education minister proposes university law update
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Ana María Sanjuán, Venezuela’s Minister for University Education, proposed a national agreement to create a new University Law.
Sanjuán stated the new law will focus on integrating technological innovation into classrooms and reducing exclusion from higher education. The Minister reported that the National Admission System has already assigned places to 237,754 high school graduates out of 397,556 applicants, representing 65% of demand. However, approximately 144,000 graduates still lack university placements.
Sanjuán explained a gap exists between student aspirations and the number of spaces available, citing the Central University of Venezuela as an example where over 50,000 students applied for only 3,800 available spots. Medicine proved to be the most popular field of study, with 90,153 applications.
To address issues with the National Admission System, which prevented nearly 1,300 students with near-perfect scores from securing a place, Sanjuán announced her ministry will work with universities to open a new application period within six months. Plans also include building new facilities at the Central University of Venezuela, updating student cohorts, and standardizing medical training across the country’s seven medical schools.
The Minister also confirmed that teachers on contract will begin receiving an academic bonus, with conventionally employed professors receiving it starting in October.
