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Conflicts in Yachay reveal two visions of the ‘revolution’
Posted On 10 Jul 2017
Ecuadornews:
The story repeats itself, although the scenario is different. In 2015, the then president of Yachay Tech, Spanish Fernando Albericio, was fired and denounced that three deans and members of the Management Commission spent more time in California than in Urcuquí, where the campus is located; he also denounced that each earned $ 16,300 a month and supposedly travel expenses when they came to Ecuador.
On June 20, however, three deans, one under-secretary, and a chancellor were dismissed by the president of the university, Mexican citizen Carlos Castillo; They would have spent more than 70% of the time abroad and did not give classes.
Former President Rafael Correa defended the deans in 2015 arguing that well-paid scientists make “million dollars” to Yachay. And days ago: “Paola Ayala, former dean of Physics and Nanotechnology, was allegedly fired to save $ 130,000 per year, but that’s why we lost $ 10 million in donations got by her for her research team.”
His stance, two years ago, was backed by the then head of the National Secretariat for Higher Education (Senescyt) René Ramirez, who would have told Albericio that Correa preferred to fire one but not three scientists.
Augusto Barrera is now in charge of the Senescyt and does not agree with Correa nor Ramírez. At least not within a policy of austerity driven by President Lenin Moreno and the interest in incorporating Yachay into that financial regime. “The purpose is to recover the meaning of the project, adjusting what is necessary to the current conditions of higher education …” he said.
Yachay reveals different visions of the project within the same Citizen Revolution, one that led by Correa and another led now by Moreno. (I)
