Margarida responds to Mendonça: 'the problem with universities is political'
Federal Deputy Margarida Salomão (PT-MG) stated that the Minister of Education, Mendonça Filho, "falls into deep contradiction when he says that the collapse of Brazilian Federal Universities and Research Institutes is a matter of management and that the rectors need to adapt to the new scenario"; "No, Minister. This is a political issue, a matter of priority," the parliamentarian retorted.
Mines 247 - Federal Deputy Margarida Salomão (PT-MG) stated that the Minister of Education, Mendonça Filho, "falls into deep contradiction when he says that the collapse of Brazilian Federal Universities and Research Institutes is a matter of management and that the rectors need to adapt to the new scenario." "No, Minister. This is a political issue, a matter of priority," the parliamentarian retorted.
According to a report by Globo News, data from the Ministry of Education, obtained through the Access to Information Law, indicates that 44 of the 64 federal universities in the country had their budgets affected by cuts compared to the first semester of 2016.
The ranking of the ten universities with the most significant budget cuts includes major universities such as Unifesp (5th place), UFRJ (8th place), and UFPE (7th place). In ten of these universities, the cut this year exceeded 20% of the funds allocated to universities during the first six months of 2016.
According to the Workers' Party member, who chairs the Parliamentary Front for the Valorization of Federal Universities, the National Higher Education System was responsible for consolidating major entities in the areas of research and training, and for bringing higher education to the interior of Brazil. Therefore, it cannot be under threat.
"The University needs a tranquil environment so that people can think, educate, and produce. This imminent risk of closure, of not knowing if we will reach the end of the year, is mortally damaging to universities. That is why we need to fight and demand that resources for federal universities be made available immediately," stated the congresswoman.
General Committee
To focus actions and measures in this regard, the congresswoman explains that a general session is being organized in the National Congress, which will include the participation of the Legislative Assemblies of the states. "The objective is for this drama to mobilize the congressional delegations because it is an intolerable situation that compromises not only a generation of students, but also the economy of the municipalities and states that house the institutions," explains Margarida Salomão.