The Sunedu Board of Directors decided to extend automatic baccalaureate because, among other reasons, Law No. 31803 has not been regulated. However, it indicated that universities must adapt to this regulation from January 2025.
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The Sunedu Board of Directors decided to extend automatic baccalaureate because, among other reasons, Law No. 31803 has not been regulated. However, it indicated that universities must adapt to this regulation from January 2025.
The National Superintendence of Higher University Education (Sunedu) decided to extend automatic baccalaureate until December 31, 2024 , for all university students and graduates.
This was unanimously decided by the Board of Directors of said entity in a recent resolution in which it considered that Law No. 31803 - which modified the University Law and was enacted by Parliament in June 2023 - has not yet been regulated and that "problems have arisen for its execution."
Problems with the implementation of the standard
According to a report from the entity's Legal Advisory Office , "since Law No. 31803 came into force," "there have been problems with its implementation," since many universities, schools and higher institutes "have not complied with its provisions - in regards to the minimum requirement for obtaining a bachelor's degree, consisting of having passed, among undergraduate studies, a research work course that is followed in the last semester of studies for each degree - by not having included the research work course in their curriculum or study plan."
"The circumstance described represents a disadvantage for students because they cannot obtain a bachelor's degree or, having obtained it, it cannot be registered in the National Registry of Degrees and Titles because it is noted that the minimum requirements for the granting of university degrees and titles have not been met , within the framework of the conditions established by the University Law and Law 31803," Sunedu indicated.
In this regard, the aforementioned legal office recommended to the Board of Directors of Sunedu "to establish a period of adaptation of the application of the aforementioned Law, with the purpose that students can obtain their bachelor's degree even though universities and higher education institutions and schools authorized to grant university-level degrees and titles have not complied with implementing the research work course in the last semester of studies of each degree."
For this reason, Sunedu resolved to "establish, as an adjustment period and on an exceptional basis, that students and graduates who successfully complete the research work course - or its equivalent - in the study plan or curriculum, may access the bachelor's degree in accordance with the scope of Law No. 31803, until December 31, 2024. "
However, the Superintendency ordered that "public and private universities adapt their study plans or curricular grids, as indicated by the scope of Law No. 31803, constituting supervised material as of the first business day of January 2025."
It is worth noting that Law No. 31803, which amended the University Law, states that in order to obtain a bachelor's degree, it is necessary to "have passed undergraduate studies and have knowledge of a foreign language, preferably English or a native language." It also highlights that "undergraduate studies include a research course that is followed in the last semester of studies for each degree."
More modifications to the University Law
It is worth noting that on August 6, the President of the Republic, Dina Boluarte , and the President of the Council of Ministers, Gustavo Adrianzén, promulgated the norm proposed by Congress that modifies the University Law and establishes the permanent licensing granted by the National Superintendence of Higher University Education (Sunedu) to higher education institutions.
In addition, the law establishes the permanent nature of the distance education modality of universities, so that it may comprise 100% of university credits "as long as certified information and communication technologies (ICT) are used, except for courses and specialties that require in-person experiments and practices."
The regulation, which modifies two articles of the University Law enacted in 2014, indicates that licensing is of a permanent nature , "as long as universities demonstrate continued compliance with basic quality conditions. However, universities will be subject to periodic unannounced evaluations to guarantee educational quality and transparency in the use of public resources."
Along these lines, he added that the aforementioned superintendency will carry out public audits every three years "to verify and/or correct compliance with the basic conditions of quality and transparency in the use of public resources," and will incorporate an early warning system "to detect possible noncompliance or deviations in universities."