Ecuador's First Lady faces scrutiny over rapid university degree

"It is incomprehensible that a university degree, which usually takes 4 years to obtain, was acquired in 8 months."

Lavinia Valbonesi, Ecuador's First Lady, is facing strong controversy over allegations of preferential treatment after it was revealed she obtained a university bachelor's degree in less than a year. Even her husband, President Daniel Noboa, has directly addressed the issue, but universities and civil society are demanding transparent disclosure of the degree's evaluation process and continuing their opposition.

Valbonesi, born on April 8, 1998, officially announced her graduation with a bachelor's degree in Social Communication from the private University of the Hemispheres (UHE) in Ecuador on February 13 (local time), according to the university's announcement.

However, doubts and debates ignited on local media and social media platforms, with allegations that the First Lady obtained her bachelor's degree in just 8 to 9 months. The Argentine media outlet Página/12 reported on the 22nd that some even claimed the actual academic period was only around 6 months.

The core of the controversy lies in the fact that the First Lady received her degree approximately 8 months after signing an agreement with the university and her foundation in June of the previous year. Critics pointed out that this was excessively unusual compared to regular students who spend years studying and paying tuition fees to earn their degrees.

In particular, the opposition and academic circles raised suspicions of "special treatment only available to the elite."

In response, the university explained that it applied the 'Validación de trayectoria profesional' (Validation of professional career) procedure, which is permitted under Ecuador's higher education system.

The university asserted that Valbonesi's practical communication experience gained through her activities as a wellness and fitness influencer, businesswoman, and foundation operator was recognized for academic credit, and that the process was lawful according to relevant regulations.

As the controversy escalated, President Noboa issued a public letter on February 21, directly refuting the criticism surrounding his wife, labeling it as "unjustified media lynching."

President Noboa argued, "The degree has no legal issues and is legitimate. Lavinia is a great mother and a fighter, an example to many women."

He also mentioned his own multiple degrees, including a Bachelor of Business Administration from New York University, a Master of Business Administration from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University's Kennedy School, and a Master of Political Communication from George Washington University, emphasizing, "What brought me to this position was not my degrees, but my decisiveness and discipline."

First Lady Valbonesi also directly refuted the claims in a local media interview on February 23, stating, "My degree was not a gift."

She further claimed to have completed online classes, assignments, exams, and thesis defense within one semester. She added that she chose online classes instead of face-to-face sessions due to security concerns.

Regarding the plagiarism allegations raised by some, she countered, "It met the university's plagiarism detection standard of less than 10%, and my thesis's similarity rate was less than 7%." She added, "If I weren't the President's wife, this commotion wouldn't have happened."

However, the controversy does not seem to be subsiding easily.

Some graduates and student representatives from UHE criticized the university for failing to adequately explain the degree evaluation process, stating that the institution's credibility and the fairness of its degrees have been compromised.

Some civic groups are also urging the Council for Higher Education (CES) and the Ministry of Education to fully disclose and independently verify the process of Valbonesi's degree evaluation and career recognition standards.