Nicaragua’s Central American University (UCA) Closes Indefinitely

The UCA has 9,430 undergraduate and graduate students, studying in 19 degree programs. A total of 1,370 workers will be laid off as of August. 

HAVANA TIMES – The Jesuit University of Central America (UCA) of Nicaragua, one of the academic centers where protests against the government began last April, announced today its indefinite closing, faced with the end of an economic subsidy that it received from the government, reported dpa news.

In a press statement, the UCA administration revealed that it has suspended its academic programs and the payment to 1,370 workers as of the month of August due to a lack of resources. It is the first university to announce its indefinite closure since the crisis began in the country.

The State grants six percent of the national budget to public universities and to some private ones, such as the UCA, according to a law approved several years ago.

According to the UCA statement, the government argued “illiquidity” to not disburse the funds, which the university uses for scholarships and to improve infrastructure and services.

The UCA has 9,430 undergraduate and graduate students, studying in 19 degree programs.

As a result of the student protests that broke out on April 18, all Nicaraguan universities suspended their classes and remain closed until today.

The rector general of the UCA, Jesuit priest Jose Idiaquez, received death threats and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued precautionary measures for his protection.