On 11 November the Constitutional Tribunal (TC) finally upheld the Law on Universities. This had passed Congress in July 2014, but was immediately challenged by a number of appeals over its constitutionality; it was argued that it breached the much-vaunted autonomy of universities. The TC has now decided that this is not so. The law had been challenged by a number of vested interests, mostly working on behalf of newly established private universities opposed to greater state oversight and to mandatory qualifications for teaching staff.

At the centre of the row was the role to be played by the National Superintendency for Higher Education (Sunedu), created by the legislation, and the dissolution of the National Assembly of Rectors. The Assembly, it was widely believed, had done little or nothing to promote educational standards in higher education. Congressmen from a number of parties, including the Fujimorista bloc, were behind the appeal to the TC.

In its wording the TC’s ruling defended the notion of university autonomy, but claimed that this was not incompatible with the creation of a public body designed to raise standards in higher education. Opponents of the law claimed that this was an affront to private enterprise. The TC countered this with the argument that customers of such services had a right to insist on proper standards.

http://elcomercio.pe/politica/justicia/ley-universitaria-tribunal-constitucional-ratifico-su-vigencia-noticia-1855636