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Published online 17 June 2009 | Nature 459, 898 (2009) | doi:10.1038/459898a
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Venezuelan scientists speak out
University cuts are the latest in a series of government actions that have researchers seeing red.
Research in Venezuela, already battered on many fronts, faces budget cuts that have in recent weeks triggered students to protest and others to complain that the country's science infrastructure is approaching collapse.
Venezuela's finances depend heavily on the price of oil, which other than a recent rise has for months been below the US$60 per barrel that the government counted on when it drew up the national budget.
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This is really sad. One of the main means for a country to progress is by developing research and technology. Obviously this is not Chavez concern. I'm a venezuelan scientist abroad myself. I had to leave the country as I couldn't find a job in research. On the other hand, the researchers living in the country are having very difficult times. I had to buy a software needed for a study for a friend of mine as the exchange control impose in the country didn't allow her to buy it freely through the internet. What about other people that doesn't have family or friends abroad who can help them in situations like this one? On the other hand, the government spend millions on buying rifles, jet fighters and helicopters to Russia. Is this really necessary? I guess we need weapons and not science and research for a social revolution.
I am also from Venezuela. What's even worse, is that the politization of the universities actually make it harder for you to publish, giving extremely little incentives por publication or for conferences (last I heard from some friends, the University was giving out $100 a YEAR for conference and paper publication to professors). This is aside from the currency exchange restrictions imposed by the goverment mentioned in the article. What about research that is not directly aimed at the Oil industry (my case, as my field is bioengineering)? I imagine they must be doing far worse than anyone. Sad indeed.
The saddest thing is not the state of universities, even if it is sad. The public schools and schools in general are a complete disaster in Venezuela and there is no plan for improving their quality. Venezuela stopped taking part in international evaluations of its pupils' skills in 1998, when Chavez was elected. Back then Venezuelan pupils were the worst by far in maths at a UNESCO test of 13 Latin American countries. After 1998 there has been no real international monitoring. The Venezuelan government has rejected participation as it rejects transparency. Now Venezuela is one of the few countries in Latin America NOT taking part in the PISA programme.
NATURE has done a great service to Venezuelan Science by reviewing the critical situation in which it has been prostrated, by an staggering collection of actions and policies that only a Martian could considered to be ill conceived or somewhat erroneous. Without a doubt, Chavez is trying to annihilate our scientific community, simply because its majority does not share his views. For that purpose scientists are publically exposed as oligarchic and devoid of social sensibility. This is especially true for those members of the country leading scientific institution, IVIC. Furthermore academic hierarchies are frequently despised and laboratories are now choked economically. The outcome is that today, scientific activity in Venezuela closely matches that observed 31 years ago when David Dickson reported for NATURE the state of Venezuelan science (Nature, 1978, v275, pp 472-473). Then, science budget was curtailed by 7% even though its share of the GNP was barely 0.28%; applied science was considered a marginal activity while the rule was disrespect for basic science; scientist salaries were miserable and IVIC was considered an ivory tower in account that its scientist were supposed to be immune to country needs. The comparison between the situation then and now is extremely valuable, because it permits to look further into the discrepancy for the values for the investment in R&D that at first sight seems to be at odd. While the Chavez government claims an investment of 2,69% of the GNP for year 2008 everybody else deny the value, as very courageous did the President of the Venezuelan Academy of Sciences. It is claimed by those with some knowledge of the theme, that at most the level of investment in R&D is still 0.4%, a figure repeated throughout many years. True, nowadays there must be a incidence of the LOCTI tax, but probably its effects ought to be minimal. LOCTI law is a good idea but with bad luck, because the government failed to plan its regulation and, thus, could not ensure its effectiveness. Indeed, Chavez did not count with the sneakiness of the CEO of a number of private enterprises that, rather than see their monies wasted by a corrupted bureaucratic political apparatchik, said that they have dedicated the dues in in-house programs, that never existed but permitted them to circumvent the spirit of the law.
Is there any vested interest in focusing on a problem of a small Latin American country while there are hundreds of countries in this world having varying number of burning issues including in the field of science??
This is why I love politics. In science one may think that everything can be decided to be true of false on the basis of empirical evidence, but come politics and everything turns true and false at the same time. This article may suggest that science is being destroyed by socialism in Venezuela, but just turn to page 1021 of this very same issue of Nature, Vol. 459, 18 June 2009 ( http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/2009/090618/full/nj7249-1021e.html for the on-line version) adn find exactly the opposite fact: "Venezuela science boost. Venezuelan government announces grant to research universities." Science and technology investment has risen in recent years to 2.69% of GDP according to the article. This is a very high percentage of GDP for science in a developing country. I have two predictions with respect to this paradox. One: Venezuelan scientists that don't believe in socialism will continue to accuse Chavez's government of every evil while those who believe in socialism will continue to praise him. Two: No one will ever know the truth about the support or lack thereof of Chavez's support for science. This is politics in science. Fascinating.
It is incredible that Military people be in charge directing the money to science in Venezuela. However, something similar we have in Mexico. CONACyT, the main financial institution is directed by a politician who knows nothing about science. The big problem with Venezuelan science is that Chavez believe that science is not important, as the Mexican goverment think. Perhaps you, all the Venezuela scientist, can explain to Chavez that the most advanced countries dedicate about (minimum) 1% of the Internal product to science. R. Escudero