Public Funding of the Federal University System

Academic freedom in higher education entails several principles related not only to evidence-based, peer-reviewed research, but also to employment security. Tenured professors must have financial and institutional guarantees so that they are able to dedicate themselves to their research and students full-time.

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Since the first weeks of the Bolsonaro’s term, we have observed how the president and his cabinet have tried to disestablish the principles above in order to restrict academic freedom and impose their ideology on Brazil’s educational system. At first, Bolsonaro threatened the nation’s educational institutions with lawfare—for instance, inaugurating a Lava-Jato da Educação to investigate programs such as ProUni and Pronatec, which allow low-income students access to education across the country. However, the government’s actions against the jewels of Brazil’s education system, the country’s public universities, has been even more concerning. Bolsonaro vowed to curb investment in sociology and philosophy departments—both often associated with the academic Left—and has effectively slashed federal universities’ budgets by 30%.

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We strongly condemn Bolsonaro’s attack on Brazil’s public universities and educational institutions. Public funding of the federal university system is necessary to guarantee the quality and integrity of Brazilian academic production. By targeting Brazil’s best schools, Bolsonaro is crippling the country’s future.