India, May 14 -- Tens of thousands of Argentines flooded the streets of major cities nationwide on Tuesday to protest funding cuts by libertarian President Javier Milei to the public university system that represents a near-universal point of pride in this crisis-prone country.

Vast crowds in downtown Buenos Aires marched toward the Government headquarters to denounce budget shortfalls eroding the financial foundation of the country's higher education.

Argentina's public university system, a cornerstone of its well-educated workforce cherished by its large middle class, has been tuition-free since 1949 and produced five Nobel Prize laureates. Congress passed a law last year to fund universities' operational costs and raise teacher salar...