Zero tuition improved the quality of life

The daughter of a flower farm worker and a housewife, her testimony reveals how this initiative, which began at the University of Cundinamarca and was supported by the Governor of Cundinamarca, Nicolás García Bustos, and of course, the National Government, has helped improve the family economy of this student and the nearly 695,000 young people who have benefited in the country.

“I was paying 900,000 pesos every semester, and it was very hard because my dad is the breadwinner, and he barely earns minimum wage. So he had to use his severance pay to cover the first semester. By the second semester, I had to work as a waitress in a bakery or as a babysitter to save up and make up the difference,” says Bannesa Roa.

That's why, for this young woman, one of the 10% group of low-income youth who manage to get into university, according to education expert Julián de Zubiría, the announcement of free tuition changed her life. “When I heard the news, I came home overjoyed and told my parents, 'Relax, we don't have to pay for the semester anymore.' Their faces lit up with relief, since we were all constantly stressed about where we were going to get the money.‘.

And that money we saved is now going towards other needs. “Imagine, it helped us lay the foundation and build the second floor. When it was finished, we moved in and rented out the first floor, which gave us another source of income we didn't have before.”.

But the good news doesn't end there; the worn-out computer that took 30 seconds to "think" is now a thing of the past. "I was finally able to buy a computer for my homework and online classes. I'm so happy about that.".

She has only one question: what will happen when classes resume in person? “I hope the zero tuition policy continues, because in that case, I could use those savings to pay for my transportation from Bojacá to Facatativá and then another fare to the university. That's three fares each way.”.

The University of Cundinamarca is committed to the education of the youth of the department, and this is reaffirmed by the ongoing efforts it makes with municipal, departmental and national authorities to guarantee better educational conditions.

More news from Extension Facatativá at the News Agency