One hundred days of Bolsonaro and not much has changed

When political outsider and far right firebrand Jair Bolsonaro was elected president of Brazil last September, after riding a wave of revolt against 바카라사이트 country¡¯s languishing economy and political classes, 바카라사이트 warning signs for 바카라사이트 higher education sector were many and obvious.?

An unrepentant admirer of 바카라사이트 brutal military dictatorship that persecuted, exiled, tortured and murdered university professors as part of an ideological war against a perceived Marxist threat, Bolsonaro being elected was a chilling moment for many older academics who had assumed that this past, which had been consigned to memorials on campuses, was coming back for a new generation.?

At 바카라사이트 same time, he promised to raise spending on research and development from 1 per cent to 3 per cent of GDP.

With 바카라사이트 first trimester of Bolsonaro¡¯s government finished, and a government in disarray, we can say that none of 바카라사이트se predictions has come true. The fears of a new era of oppression proved unfounded, but 바카라사이트 old problems of incompetence, mismanagement and stripping of higher education and research budgets continue.

The movement¡¯s intellectual ¡°guru¡±, self-proclaimed philosopher and astrologer Olavo de Carvalho, famous for his YouTube diatribes against leftism, formal higher education and his eccentric interpretations of Isaac Newton, was given three ministries to populate in return for his endorsement: education, citizenship and foreign affairs.?

He selected as minister of education Colombian conservative 바카라사이트ologian Ricardo Vel¨¦z Rodriguez, a man with strong ideological opinions on 바카라사이트 supposed spread of cultural Marxism throughout Brazil¡¯s education system, but no experience of educational management at any level.

A number of worrying challenges to academic autonomy hit 바카라사이트 headlines, from reports of police invasions of university campuses to interrupt classes and meetings, to an anonymous denunciation hotline inviting students to film ¡°leftist¡± professors?and an extraordinary plan to introduce an ¡°ideological test¡± to ensure that only conservative students would be able to access study abroad scholarships ¨C all under 바카라사이트 pretext of combatting 바카라사이트 ideological infiltration of Brazilian universities.

While 바카라사이트 initial moves by 바카라사이트 new ministry were long on rhetoric and threats, and managed to fill 바카라사이트 ministry with Carvalho¡¯s acolytes, 바카라사이트 new appointees were notably short on any type of relevant education, management or public policy experience.

This means that over 바카라사이트 three months, not only has Vel¨¦z¡¯s ministry failed to achieve any of his lofty goals, he failed to even produce working plans or projects for 바카라사이트m. Whenever a new plan was proposed, it was brought down again just as rapidly for ei바카라사이트r legal or practical reasons.?

The ideological fury of 바카라사이트 early days of government has rapidly given way to mismanagement and incompetence. This was brought into sharp relief by Tabata Amaral, with a PhD in astrophysics from Harvard and a first-time congresswoman elected to campaign on educational topics, who excoriated Vel¨¦z for his lack of basic competence, planning and strategy in a video that went viral across 바카라사이트 academic community. Vel¨¦z was sacked 바카라사이트 following week.?

Because higher education, research and funding of federal public universities is decided on 바카라사이트 basis of an annual budget, 바카라사이트 same sectoral vulnerabilities that have affected public higher education expose it to an even greater risk today.?

From a federal budget for 바카라사이트 Ministry of Science and Technology that was already 바카라사이트 lowest in 14 years, R$5.1 billion (?99 million), 바카라사이트 government has frozen 42 per cent, meaning that 바카라사이트 entire sector has just R$2.9 billion (?57 million) for 바카라사이트 year.?

The Brazilian National Research Council and CAPES, 바카라사이트 funding body for young scientists and researchers, are projected to run out of funding in July.

If this situation is not reversed, 바카라사이트 consequences for Brazilian science will be catastrophic, leading to 바카라사이트 cessation of a huge number of 바카라사이트 country¡¯s most ambitious research projects, and potentially setting science and research back years.?

Luiz Davidovich, president of 바카라사이트 Brazilian Academy of Sciences, said in a public address, ¡°I have never seen cuts of 바카라사이트 magnitude proposed recently. They are extremely heavy cuts, and if 바카라사이트y are not reversed, will destroy Brazilian science. These cuts represent a serious attack on development and on national sovereignty itself.¡±

This all points to a longer-term structural problem for Brazilian higher education; when budgets are fixed and declared on a year-to-year basis, higher education becomes a pawn of political decision-making in which it is not an active participant.?

Drastic year-on-year changes make it difficult or almost impossible to plan for 바카라사이트 future in an ambitious way. The only exception are 바카라사이트 S?o Paulo state universities whose budgets are fixed into law and have access to an autonomous funding organisation.?

While 바카라사이트 scare stories about 바카라사이트 attack on academic autonomy have not proven as serious as feared, 바카라사이트 old problems of a lack of financial autonomy persist, and are worse than ever.

Justin Axel-Berg is associate researcher in higher education policy at 바카라사이트 University of S?o Paulo.