Former university presidents try to create education and science bench in Congress

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At least ten former deans of universities and federal institutes announced their pre-candidacy for Congress and the Legislative Assemblies in a collective manifesto during the annual meeting of the Brazilian Society for the Progress of Science (SBPC), which takes place at UnB (University of Brasilia), in Brasilia. It is the most important scientific event in the country.

The ex-directors are part of a group of more than one hundred professors, researchers and intellectuals who will compete in this year’s election — including for governor and vice-presidential positions. This is the case, for example, of Olgamir Amancia Ferreira, a professor at UnB and pre-candidate for vice-governor of the Federal District by PCdoB-DF.

Together at the SBPC, they signed a document to defend guidelines such as guaranteeing university autonomy and recomposing resources destined for scientific research and public universities — which have plummeted in recent years. It is a kind of “science and education bench” with pre-candidates from parties such as PT, PDT and PSOL.

The meeting, which took place this Wednesday (27), was parallel to the official scientific organization of the SBPC. It had, however, the current president and former presidents of the society, in addition to the scientists participating in the annual event.

“The SBPC is a non-partisan entity that cannot take a position in favor of any candidate, but can say that it is entirely in favor of democracy and the electronic ballot box”, said Renato Janine Ribeiro, a professor at USP and president of the society. “It’s great to have candidates in favor of education and science.”

Helena Nader, who heads the ABC (Brazilian Academy of Sciences) —is the first woman in this position— also participated in the launch of the manifesto supporting the candidacies. “At a time when education and science are neglected by the government, it is very important to have people volunteering to run for office as senator and deputy.”

The idea of ​​building simultaneous candidacies supporting education and science agendas started at the beginning of the year. Gradually, explains the former dean of UFG (Federal University of Goiás) Edward Madureira Brasil, the names of pre-candidates have emerged in conversations and lives held in recent months.

“We started talking to national leaders in education and science who have pledged support to the movement and simultaneously we initially talked to former presidents of federal universities and federal institutes”, he says. “Next, other leaders were added.” He is a pre-candidate for federal deputy for PT-GO.

The list of pre-candidates also includes Ricardo Galvão, a physicist at USP and former director of the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe). He was fired by the Bolsonaro government in July 2019 after the announcement of deforestation data in the Amazon, which displeased the government. Now, he is a pre-candidate for federal deputy in São Paulo for Rede.

Galvão is also part of the Engaged Scientists movement, which emerged earlier, in the 2018 election period, to increase the representation of science in the country’s political scenario.

At the time, applications were launched from scientists such as USP anthropologist Walter Neves and Mariana Moura, a postdoctoral fellow at Unifesp (Federal University of São Paulo) — which coordinates the Engaged Scientists group. She is running again for state deputy in São Paulo, now for PCdoB, and was also at the launch of the manifesto at SBPC.

“There was a 96% drop in the transfer to investments in federal universities in recent years”, says Moura. “Now these candidacies are more important than ever.”

The education and science bench also has postgraduate and undergraduate pre-candidates. Case of Fábio Antônio de Oliveira Júnior, who is studying economics at UFG and is a pre-candidate for state deputy for PT-GO. Pre-candidates for the bench are being negotiated with the parties.

There are also former presidents claiming a seat in the Senate — the case of Maria Lúcia Neder, who is running for PCdoB in Mato Grosso, and Reinaldo Centoducatte, who is running for PT in Espírito Santo. They directed, respectively, the federal universities of Mato Grosso and Espírito Santo.

Paulo Burmann, dean of UFSM (Federal University of Santa Maria) until last year, for example, is a pre-candidate for federal deputy for the Rio Grande do Sul PDT. And Roberto Ramos, who was dean of the Federal University of Roraima, is running for the state legislature for the PROS of Roraima.

The SBPC annual meeting continues until next Saturday (30) in a hybrid mode. This is the first annual meeting of the society with face-to-face activities after a two-year break due to the Covid pandemic.

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