▁In ▁fact , ▁government ▁fund ing ▁and ▁invest ment ▁in ▁higher ▁education ▁in ▁Venezuela ▁between ▁ 1 9 8 9 ▁and ▁ 1 9 9 8 ▁saw ▁a ▁marked ▁down ward ▁tr end . ▁Ch á vez ▁became ▁president ▁in ▁ 1 9 9 9 . ▁The ▁tr end ▁marked ▁the ▁government ' s ▁desire ▁to ▁reduce ▁resources ▁and ▁state ▁support ▁for ▁education ▁while ▁further ing ▁the ▁project ▁of ▁priv at ization ▁of ▁higher ▁education , ▁as ▁per ▁the ▁do ctr ines ▁of ▁the ▁Washington ▁Cons ensus ▁and ▁ne oli ber al ism . ▁ ▁This ▁brought ▁consequences ▁such ▁as ▁a ▁large ▁accum ulated ▁" social ▁deb t " ▁( the ▁sum ▁tab ulation ▁of ▁government al ▁neglect ▁of ▁a ▁given ▁area , ▁such ▁as ▁the ▁total ▁of ▁all ▁funds ▁that ▁could ▁have ▁been ▁spent ▁on ▁education , ▁but ▁instead ▁were ▁spent ▁elsewhere ), ▁because ▁the ▁number ▁of ▁university ▁mat ric ulations ▁st agn ated , ▁resulting ▁in ▁the ▁ex clusion ▁of ▁students ▁origin ating ▁from ▁Venezuela ' s ▁poor est ▁se ctors . ▁N umer ous ▁studies ▁agree ▁that ▁entrance ▁to ▁higher ▁education ▁pre dis poses ▁students ▁from ▁any ▁background ▁to ▁eventually ▁ear n ▁greater ▁in comes , ▁both ▁of ▁the ▁population ▁of ▁the ▁cities ▁and ▁to ▁students ▁origin ating ▁from ▁el ite ▁private ▁schools . ▁On ▁a ▁par ▁with ▁this ▁phenomen on , ▁the ▁t ert i ary ▁education ▁turning ▁out ▁official ▁government al ▁man agers ▁reduced ▁its ▁participation ▁in ▁the ▁education ▁of ▁private ▁( cor por ate ) ▁management .