Investment in science and education must be continuous and not depend on specific actions by the government or the ruling party. Cuts in the area and the abrupt interruption of internationalization programs are some of the points that hinder the country’s progress, according to biomedical Helena Nader.
A professor at the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp), she was elected president of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC) this Tuesday morning (29) — she is the first woman to hold the position in the institution’s 106 years.
As president, Nader says he wants to rebuild Brazilian education, from preschool to higher education.
“We need a revolution in education that starts in preschool and goes up to graduate school. It is necessary to recover critical thinking and encourage children to think from a very young age”, says the scientist.
In addition, the current brain drain of Brazilian researchers, a process in which highly qualified people with postgraduate degrees seek opportunities abroad, is worrying because it also has internal nuances. “It’s not just the flight abroad that worries me, but within the country I see many young graduates who fail to pursue graduate studies, they are lost”, he says.
The biomedical spoke with the sheet in her laboratory at Unifesp’s Institute of Pharmacology and Molecular Biology, in São Paulo, about what challenges she expects from the presidency of ABC, the obstacles imposed on women researchers and what perspectives awaits for Brazilian science and education in a year of presidential elections .
You have just been elected the first woman to preside over ABC, with 398 votes in favor (out of a total of 420 votes, with 22 abstentions). What impact will it have on the entity? I hope to have an impact on society as a whole, especially for younger girls, so that they understand that there are no limits to being who you want to be. We are experiencing a huge setback in women’s rights in Brazil, the current president [Jair Bolsonaro, do PL] does not take into account our rights, the victories that have been won by women, with statements by both him and Minister Damares [Alves, da Cidadania, Mulher e Direitos Humanos] quite harmful.
Being the first woman president of a century-old institution does not mean a change, but a recognition for society of how we got there. I am a woman, mother, grandmother, counselor, widow, and I will continue to fight for women’s rights, which includes everything, not just the right to education.
What is your main challenge in the presidency of ABC? ​In academia, the main challenge is the reconstruction of basic education. We at ABC produce content and publish it in the form of books or materials to later base public policies. Science is the basis, but the main thing is education. And science in education serves to generate a critical spirit in children, to make them think, to question.
We need a revolution in education that starts in preschool and goes through graduate school. It is necessary to recover critical thinking and encourage children to question from a very young age.
How do you see the impact on education of the current government and what do you say about the fall of the Minister of Education, Milton Ribeiro? Brazilian education is taking large steps backwards. The Brazilian State is secular. It is necessary to guarantee secularism as provided for in the Brazilian Constitution. For those who don’t like that, change the Constitution, but for now, we need to act accordingly.
What is the role of scientific entities in diversity? It is a concern of ours, and in all spheres. Sexual harassment and also moral harassment, which is just as serious, are on our minds. We are working with a group led by Professor Márcia Barbosa [fÃsica da UFRGS] who wrote a code of ethics that will be included in ABC’s bylaws. This statute will also have actions on how to deal with scientific disinformation.
Regarding diversity, in the last year the new members who joined ABC were already more diverse, the majority that joined were women and people of color. We need to count on these people because this is essential to increase knowledge and also of traditional peoples, indigenous peoples, quilombolas, everyone.
In the three years of the Bolsonaro government, what impacts has international scientific collaboration suffered in the country? First of all, the Science without Borders program was an audacious project with very positive impacts. Of course, there were mistakes, but the impact on the internationalization of Brazilian science was very great, and several collaborations remained from these trips.
The problem is that in Brazil there is no continuous flow, and it was abruptly cut off. Science and education must be state policy, not government policy. Education cannot be built with partisan political color, when this happens it is a disaster.
Now, during the Bolsonaro government, there was continuity of an excellent university internationalization program that is Print, so I can’t say it’s all bad. Of course, the pandemic hampered mainly because of mobility, but it is a way to go.
How do you see the cuts of around 92% in the science budget made last year? It was not for lack of communication with the Ministry of Economy. It’s very sad, it even revolts me, because when they make a speech in favor of science, they do it, but they don’t practice it. The cuts are violent and have effects in the future.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the International Monetary Fund said that it is necessary to invest in science, only then would we be able to get out of the pandemic. We think that if the IMF says that, someone will listen, but nothing has changed, unfortunately.
What do you think about private investment in science? I think the public-private partnership is fundamental, and we need to seek this through laws that already exist in Brazil. Many companies end up giving up investing in science in Brazil because there is a misunderstanding of the law.
For example, Embrapa is one of the largest companies in Brazil, and it was created during the dictatorship. And I don’t defend the dictators, I fought a lot against the military at the time, but they had an idea that was to send agronomists abroad, get a doctorate, specialize and come back here and apply. Today we are the number one country in soybean production. This should also apply to other areas, such as health. Brazil is far behind in this.
Today we have a reverse path, of researchers who leave and do not return? The brain drain abroad is evident, but I will be honest, what worries me is not only the flight abroad that worries me, but within the country itself I see many young graduates who fail to pursue graduate studies. , are lost. Students are entering university less and those leaving are less seeking graduate school. This is a very big step backwards.
I usually give an example that is the construction of a road, if it is paralyzed for lack of funds, no one likes to stop a work, you may even have difficulties later on, but it resumes. Education and science does not recover. That student you stopped training doesn’t form anymore. That’s why my main objective and what I’m going to fight for is to readjust the postgraduate scholarships.
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Helena Bonciani Nader, 74
​Born in the city of São Paulo, she holds a bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences from Unifesp and a degree in biological sciences from USP. She has a doctorate in biomedical sciences also at Unifesp, where she has been a professor since 1989. She has a postdoctoral degree in biological sciences from the University of Southern California (USA). She was the Dean of Undergraduate Studies at Unifesp from 1999 to 2003, of Graduate Studies and Research from 2007 to 2008 and president of the Brazilian Society for the Progress of Science from 2015 to 2017.
