The Venezuelan Right Seeks to Privatize Public Services: President Maduro
President Nicolas Maduro (C), June 6, 2024. Photo: X/ @NicolasMaduro
June 7, 2024 Hour: 3:50 pm
“We’ve resisted with courage and creativity… Do you want them to privatize education or health care? Or do you want us to improve public services?,” he stated.
On Thursday, President Nicolas Maduro denounced that the Venezuelan far-right has a plan to privatize several public services that benefit the population.
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During a meeting with the residents of Lara state, the Bolivarian leader asked the people if they want “public education or privatization? public housing or privatization?”
In a similar event held in Miranda state, he also highlighted the importance of preserving everything that Venezuelans have managed to achieve through effort during the “hard and difficult” years.
“We have resisted with courage and creativity. Now the oligarchs are proposing privatizations. Do you want them to privatize education or health care? Or do you want us to improve education and health care?” Maduro asked, emphasizing that only a popular government can achieve improvements in collective goods and services.
On several occasions, the Venezuelan government has reiterated its commitment to keeping education at all levels as a free and high-quality service. Currently, free education prevails in 80 percent of enrollments in the education sector.
In May, the Bolivarian leader even announced that he would guarantee university spots for over 339,000 young Venezuelans to continue their academic training. The Maduro administration maintains 279 National Training Programs nationwide.
It has also rehabilitated several educational centers through the Military Community Brigades for Education and Health (BRICOMILES). Among the recently remodeled educational institutions, for example, is the Guillermo Cova school, which will benefit 983 students in the municipality of Independencia.
Recently, however, right-wing candidates have been attacking the current Venezuelan education system due to the upcoming presidential elections to be held on July 28.
They describe Venezuelan education as “ideologized and politicized” due to the implementation of educational programs that revive the memory of the Liberator Simon Bolivar and other Venezuelan heroes.
The far-right candidates also propose establishing an “educational voucher system” to promote competition between public and private institutions. In practice, however, this mechanism aims to influence the demand for education services to gradually dismantle the public education system.
Source: VTV
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