PRONABEC Scholarship Recipients Protest Proposed Reforms in Peru

• Scholarship recipients from Peru’s PRONABEC program are holding a sit-in outside the Ministry of Education to protest proposed changes that threaten their access to higher education.
• Students face academic sanctions and potential expulsion for protesting, yet remain camped out to defend their right to study.
• The Lima Bar Association (CAL) and other social organizations have joined the call for the Ministry to withdraw the proposal and initiate a transparent public consultation.

The Proposed Reforms

• Ministerial Resolution No. 365-2026-MINEDU introduces 27 changes to the existing PRONABEC framework.
• Criticisms include the elimination of funding for repeated courses, tightened grounds for losing scholarships, and threats to students' freedom of expression.
• Critics argue that structural changes to the system should be debated in Congress rather than implemented through administrative decrees.

Socioeconomic Context

• The 2025 National Assessment of Learning Achievement (ENLA) indicates that 9 out of 10 students struggle to meet reading and math targets.
• With over 1.5 million young people living in poverty, experts argue that scholarships serve as a critical tool for social mobility rather than a mere welfare expense.
• Maintaining the program is viewed as an investment in human capital essential for breaking cycles of inequality.

Specific Demands

• Immediate withdrawal of the draft Supreme Decree linked to Ministerial Resolution No. 365-2026-MINEDU.
• Nullification of Executive Directorial Resolution No. 119-2026-MINEDU/VMGI-PRONABEC for being ambiguous and punitive toward student activists.
• Implementation of an "Equitable Dialogue" in Congress to review Law No. 29837.