Theft and vandalism is something that happens every day in every corner of the country and, unfortunately, educational institutions are no exception for criminals.
During the Covid-19 quarantine, at least 100 thefts were recorded at the Universidad de Oriente (UDO). This was reported by deputies of the National Assembly (AN), Carlos Andrés Michelangeli, Tatiana Montiel and student leaders.
The headquarters located in Barcelona, is one of the most affected by crime.
“I believe that what happened here is the socialism of the 21st century. What happened is that the university, each year that passed was destroyed more,” said the parliamentarian Michelangeli.
The student leader, José Figueredo, also denounced that the thieves not only stole but also burned sections of the university. Figueredo said anti-socials do this because the university is “the mother of critical thinking and is the only democratic space that exists in the country.”
For her part, Representative Montiel said the university crisis reflects many sectors of the country.
“This is our health system, this is our electrical system, this is our water system. That is, the vandalism that power has generated,” she said.
Despite the fact that the police had promised to secure the university facilities, university leaders explained that this was not applied during the quarantine. As the facilities were left unguarded, thefts increased.
Universities across the country have been protesting for years against Nicolas Maduro’s regime, and in response, the budget to continue operations was cut. This directly affected university workers and students, who have to deal with poor infrastructure, lack of services and salaries that are not enough to survive.