Mercadante: Temer cut 90 FIES (student loan program) slots.

247 - Former Education Minister Aloizio Mercadante stated in a note this Thursday (16) that the 75 places announced by interim minister Mendonça Filho (DEM) "fall short" of what was planned by the government of elected president Dilma Rousseff.

"The announcement signifies a significant cut of 90,000 places compared to what the elected government had planned. The Minister of Education of the elected government, Aloizio Mercadante, did not announce the places for the second semester of FIES (Student Financing Fund), as his administration was interrupted by a coup that temporarily removed the elected president, Dilma Rousseff, for reasons that are now widely known," the statement says.

Below is the full text:

The elected government of President Dilma Rousseff redefined, improved, and expanded the number of places available in the Student Financing Fund (Fies). For this year, 300 places were planned and announced for Fies.

In the first semester, 250,000 places were offered, of which 135,000 were filled. Therefore, the Dilma government projected 165,000 new places in FIES this year (115,000 places not filled in the first semester + 50,000 remaining places from the program's equilibrium number).

The 75,000 places announced by the interim minister, Mendonça Filho, this Thursday, the 16th, fall short of the places planned by the Dilma government. In reality, the announcement represents a significant cut of 90,000 places compared to what the elected government had planned. The Minister of Education of the elected government, Aloizio Mercadante, did not announce the places for the second semester of FIES (Student Financing Fund), as his administration was interrupted by a coup that temporarily removed the elected president, Dilma Rousseff, for reasons that are now widely known.

Mercadante acknowledges the importance of the interim government reversing its decision to end FIES, even if it is offering new places in a reduced number. This is not the case with Pronatec, since, to date, the agreement with the S System has not been signed, which, in practice, means the dismantling of the program for technical and professional education.

It's worth remembering that the Ministry of Education's budget, during Mercadante's administration, was awaiting approval of the fiscal target amendment in the National Congress. However, the Chamber of Deputies, influenced by the coup movement, delayed the approval of the surplus.

Regarding the lack of studies on increasing the minimum family income for access to FIES (Student Financing Fund), Mercadante announced that the Ministry of Education was evaluating the fiscal impact of increasing the FIES income by 2,5 minimum wages per person in the family, as requested by the higher education institutions themselves.

At the time, Mercadante said that the modification depended on a study by the National Fund for the Development of Education (FNDE) and the understanding of the Interministerial Working Group for Monitoring Public Spending of the Federal Government (Gtag), composed of representatives from the Ministry of Planning, Budget and Management, the Civil House of the Presidency of the Republic, the Ministry of Finance and the Comptroller General of the Union, as stated on the Ministry of Education's website (link: http://portal.mec.gov.br/component/content/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=35711:regras-ganham-mais-flexibilidade-para-ampliar-acesso-de-mais-estudantes-a-educacao-superior&catid=212&Itemid=86)

It is worth remembering some examples of improvements to FIES (Student Financing Fund), adopted during Dilma's administration: mandatory minimum score of 450 points and not scoring zero on the ENEM (National High School Exam) essay, definition of priority courses, establishment of a gross monthly per capita family income, exclusive offering of places for people who do not yet have a bachelor's degree, and a quality assessment rating of 4 and 5. These improvements made it possible, for example, for institutions participating in FIES to offer a 5% discount on tuition fees for program participants.

Mercadante reaffirms the seriousness of the Proposed Amendment to the Constitution that establishes minimum spending on Education adjusted for the previous year's inflation. The measure represents the end of the National Education Plan.

Over the past five years, the Dilma government invested R$ 54 billion above the minimum required by the Federal Constitution, which in the case of the Union is 18% of gross revenue. With the removal of the DRU (Social Security Reform Bill), starting with the Lula and Dilma governments, education gained an additional R$ 96 billion in its budget.

These resources allowed for the national minimum wage for teachers, with a real increase of 47% above inflation. These measures also enabled the National Pact for Literacy at the Right Age, providing stipends for 300 literacy teachers in all schools across Brazil.

These resources also helped fund Pronatec, with 9,4 million enrollments during Dilma's government, and helped boost ProUni, Fies, Science Without Borders, and the expansion of the federal education network. The PEC, proposed by the interim and provisional government, does not even foresee the constitutional minimum for education.

Mercadante Consulting