Students to Protest at Minedu Against Pronabec Rule Changes: 'Scholarships Are a Right, Not a Favor'

Students and scholarship recipients are set to protest outside the Ministry of Education (Minedu) on Friday, July 17, demanding the immediate halt of proposed changes to the National Scholarship and Educational Credit Program (Pronabec) regulations. They assert that scholarships are a right, not a favor, and that the modifications undermine the program's fundamental purpose.

The core of the protest lies in the perceived inadequacy of the public consultation process. The initiative to modify the regulations governing the national scholarship system was presented with only a 15-day window for public observation. Affected parties deem this period insufficient to thoroughly assess reforms that alter essential aspects of accessing, maintaining, financing, and governing the program.

Organizers, including the Gloriosa y Centenaria Federación de Estudiantes del Perú (FEP) and the Frente Nacional de Becarios, Exbecarios y Postulantes del Pronabec del Perú (FRENABEP), are calling for a 60-day extension to the public consultation period. They insist on the effective participation of all stakeholders, particularly those directly impacted by the proposed changes.

This demonstration follows a previous protest on July 13. Following that event, the Minister of Education, Jorge Marticorena, reportedly assured that the current version of the modifications would not be approved and that submitted observations would be evaluated. However, the student groups are seeking a firm, official pronouncement from Minedu to provide clarity and reassurance to the scholarship community.

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scholarships are a right, not a favor