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The suspension of applications for the Chile Scholarships for the year 2021, reported this Friday by the Minister of Science, Andrés Couve, fell like a bucket of cold water on the scientific world that reacted with indignation to the announcement. “A pandemic is not controlled with science fiction (although the spokesperson believes so), it is controlled with science,” said the president of the Chilean Society of Epidemiology, María Paz Bertoglia, for whom not awarding Chile Scholarships during the next year is ” a tremendous mistake that we will end up paying in spades “.
Bertoglia assured that the decision of the portfolio that celebrates one year today was not exactly the best. “They are mortgaging our future by not investing in science in the present”, lashed out at the academic from the School of Public Health of the University of Chile, through her Twitter account.
The epidemiologist was the first to react and hence several representatives of the scientific world joined in the criticism. He physicist Gonzalo Avaria, also on the social network, stated that, with all the outrage that the cut in the Ministry of Science is and, specifically in the item of postgraduate scholarships, “it seems to me that Sebastián Piñera’s objective is becoming clearer: to transform the system of scholarships in credits “.
Ricardo Baeza-Yates, A researcher at the Millennium Institute Fundamentals of Data, added that the decision of the Science portfolio “is not consistent with being ‘committed to science’ and shows the value that the government places on science.” In his opinion, “it would be enough to reduce the military budget a little, the future is collaborative, not competitive. We could be Costa Rica.”
The neuroscientist and vice president of the Red de Investigadora Association, Vania Figueroa IpinzaHe also said on Twitter that the “abandoned scholarship holders of the 2021 Budget” remind us that since protests in Bernarda Morín very little has changed. “CTCI does NOT occupy a relevant place on the national agenda. The long-awaited Ministry of Science and the National Research and Development Agency have arrived but affected researchers continue without universal extension of scholarships,” said the researcher.
Astronomer José Maza, National Award for Exact Sciences, was also part of the criticism and, with a video shared through social networks, asked the Ministry of Science “to listen to the requests of graduate students, meet with them and achieve effective solutions and fast “
Members of the group Science Against Clipping, Jaime Cataldo and Camilo Godoy, came to the step of the news and stood out, in conversation with Radio University of Chile, that the Chile Scholarships are a state system, whose public characteristics, instead of being weakened, “should continue to be strengthened.” As they said, “the solution is more commitment from the State and no more indebtedness.”
Not only parliamentarians and scientists responded to the announcement of the Ministry of Science. The president of the Association of Exporters and Manufactures (Asexma), Roberto Fantuzzi, used his Twitter account to comment that “one can restrict oneself from anything but” investing “in knowledge.” That makes us move further away from Human Development, “said Fantuzzi, noting that developed countries sacrificed short-term welfare for investment in continuing education. “Reverse the measure”, concluded the union leader in capital letters.
It is worth mentioning that, during a balance of the first anniversary of the Ministry of Science, the holder of the portfolio, Andres Couve, explained how the Secretary of State has been affected by the Covid-19 crisis. Fact that detonated that by 2021 “there will be no calls for Chile Scholarships, but there will be all the support for the Chile Scholarships that are already in progress, that is, all those students who are currently in Chile Scholarships will be able to continue, “said the minister.
Meanwhile, as a “scandal and a serious blow to the development of the country” he described the deputy DC Víctor Torres the government’s decision to suspend the appeals.
The parliamentarian pointed out that “this reflects the inability of the authorities to understand that everything invested in science and research, ultimately, in more knowledge, means advancement and development for the country. And it draws even more attention that is done when we are in a pandemic and when the best way to help control it is with science, with knowledge, not the other way around. Not allocating resources for scholarships Chile is very serious and it is a new government mistake that will ultimately end up paying the citizens ”.
Congressman Torres also added that “the gloss for National Graduate Scholarships was also cut by 2.9% compared to the 2020 Budget; In other words, the Executive’s strategy in this area is clear and we must say that it is a terrible decision. We will seek in Congress all the ways that allow us to press for the Government to reverse its decision, since it is an exclusive presidential power ”.
The parliamentarian DC added that “scientific activity occupies a minimum percentage of GDP (0.38%), and is five times less than the Defense budget (1.9%). In the case of Becas Chile, the budget for the programs is almost, in all cases, each year smaller and this is expressed, for example, in the number of scholarship holders per year, with numerous programs being suspended. This is a trend that we must rectify and that we cannot maintain for the good of the country ”.
“Lamentable reduction of the Government in investment of advanced human capital, so necessary for future development. In addition, resources are cut for Cruch Universities. We will work to reverse such a Bad Decision”, added the Senator, also from DC, Jorge Pizarro.
He PPD Senator Guido Girardi, president of the Future Challenges Commission, announced that he will not approve the 2021 Budget presented by the Government for the reduction of 58 billion of the item destined to Science, which he considers “shameful” and that condemns Chile “to the Middle Ages and mortgaging its future “, for which he called on the opposition” and all those who are committed to the country “to reject the government proposal.
For the senator, the suspension of the Becas Chile program, which allows the training of doctors and magisters abroad, “condemns the country to revel in the gigantic opportunities it has, but where trained professionals are required to develop them.”
The parliamentarian explained that “according to the technical report, that as a parliamentarian we have access, the budget cut for Sciences in 2021 is 58 billion pesos. A shame that condemns Chile to failure. The MCYT decreased by 16 billion pesos (-4%) and the resources previously assigned to the Economy decreased by 42 billion pesos (-25%) ”.
He added that “the budget that President Piñera promised to gradually increase during his government, but in 2021 decreases by -10.2%. We will have the lowest budget in the OECD, not even the meager 0.38% of GDP that we had until now ”.
For the senator “with this, Chile closes its future and condemns itself to mediocrity and inequality that is generated by the development model based on the export of raw materials, because intelligence, doctors or magisters are not required and where a few obtain an immense wealth”
Because, without a doubt, the suspension of Scholarships Chile 2021 is – in Girard’s opinion – the biggest mistake that the current administration makes in this matter. “Chile has unique opportunities in the world, we are a world power in Astronomy and Solar Energy and we can be in the production of Green Hydrogen (the fuel of the future), in Wind Energy, in aquaculture, development of high technology wood, as a World Data Center, etc … but the doctors we have in each of these areas are counted on the fingers of our hand ”.
And he added that “all our future potentialities are linked to the ability to generate our own competencies, not doing so is an attack against sovereignty, a betrayal of the fatherland, because in the face of all these gigantic opportunities we have a government that gives up, cuts off, mutilates the possibility of Chile to develop.
For its part, Camilo Godoy, accepted at the University of Melbourne for 2021 and representative of Idea Chile, which seeks to reopen the cut programs, says that “Unesco has indicated that promoting a policy of specialization and scholarships in developing countries generates more opportunities and decrease in inequalities ”.
Godoy also warns that in addition to the suspension of the Chile Scholarships, young researchers are being affected within the Research and Development Agency, what was Conicyt is tending to promote more consolidated academics “.
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