June 11, 1999
MEXICO CITY (AP) - Seeking a halt to a student strike, Mexico's giant National Autonomous University backed down from an effort to raise tuition.
The 132-member University Council late Monday approved a proposal from university President Francisco Barnes de Castro making payment of the fees voluntary.
There was no word Tuesday from the student strike headquarters on whether leaders would cancel the five-week strike, one of the longest in the school's 85-year history.
Barnes de Castro's original tuition proposal, which the council approved March 15, raised annual tuition from the equivalent of 2 cents to about $145 for students in higher income brackets.
But leading student groups, backed by some faculty members, insisted that education should be free for all students at public institutions in Mexico and walked out April 19. They later added Barnes de Castro's resignation to their demands.
Authorities eager to avoid confrontation had not increased tuition since 1948, despite steady inflation which eroded the value of the peso. Three presidents before Barnes de Castro tried unsuccessfully to raise tuition.
Officials had argued that the proposed tuition would bring fees roughly to the pre-inflation level of 1948, hoping to compensate for years of stagnating federal support for the huge school.
Strike supporters noted that Mexico's constitution says public education should be free. But most public universities in Mexico charge tuition.
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