Tens of thousands of Argentines have flooded the streets of major cities nationwide to protest funding cuts to the public university system by President Javier Milei.
Vast crowds in downtown Buenos Aires have marched toward the government headquarters to denounce budget shortfalls eroding the financial foundation of the country's higher education.
Argentina's public university system has been tuition-free since 1949 and produced five Nobel Prize laureates.
Congress passed a law last year to fund operational costs and raise teacher salaries, but the government has not implemented it as it challenges the legislation in court.
Milei routinely attacks campuses as bastions of "woke" indoctrination.
He has slashed funding as part of his plan to take a "chain saw" to state spending.
Universities under pressure
Tuesday's protest gathered people of all ages as Milei faces declining approval ratings over slumping economic activity and climbing unemployment.
A series of corruption scandals has also struck a nerve, particularly an investigation into spending by Cabinet chief Manuel Adorni.
Milei's administration argues the state cannot supply mandatory funding increases during harsh fiscal austerity.
The case is expected to go to the Supreme Court.
Since Milei took power in late 2023, professors' paychecks have declined by roughly 33 percent after accounting for inflation.
