Lula, five-time Honorary Doctorate recipient in Rio
Alongside President Dilma Rousseff, the former president received honors from five public universities; prior to the ceremony, the two met privately for a political conversation.
Stephania Mello _247 - Alongside President Dilma Rousseff, former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received five honorary doctorate degrees this Friday (4), now from universities in Rio de Janeiro. The universities held a joint ceremony to optimize the presence of the honoree.
The title was awarded to Lula by the universities Uerj (Rio de Janeiro State University), Unirio (Rio de Janeiro State Federal University), UFRJ (Rio de Janeiro Federal University), UFF (Fluminense Federal University), and UFRRJ (Rio de Janeiro Federal Rural University). The event took place at 11:00 AM at the João Caetano Theater, in Tiradentes Square, in the center of Rio de Janeiro.
Before the event began, Dilma and Lula had a private conversation, during their second visit to Rio in less than 15 days. The president accompanied her predecessor to receive the formal attire for the ceremony – a red toga with a doctor's cap.
At the beginning of the ceremony, the rector of Unirio, Luiz Pedro San Gil Jutuca, highlighted the former president's work in the area of education. "Unlike literate rulers, he was the one who did the most for education in this country," said Jutuca. He also emphasized the University for All Program (Prouni), created during Lula's government, which was deemed constitutional by the Supreme Federal Court (STF) in a ruling last Thursday (3), in Brasília.