The Crisis of Venezuela’s Universities Is a Crisis for the Whole Country

Venezuela’s public universities are not just centers of teaching and research — they are among the last institutions where a shared national conversation is still possible.

A slow collapse

Professor salaries have fallen to a few dollars a month, laboratories sit idle for lack of reagents, and campuses struggle to keep the lights on.

If the universities fail, so does the country's ability to think its way out of the crisis.

Any serious recovery plan has to start by paying teachers and researchers a living wage.