Brazil��s vision for science is strangling 바카라사이트 humanities

Winners of 바카라사이트 annual Brazilian Math Olympiad for Public Schools, run for 바카라사이트 past 15 years, are rewarded with advanced maths classes twice monthly in a local university, with a R$100 (?20) stipend paid by 바카라사이트 Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development.?In 2018,?nearly 7,500 youngsters won medals and are currently completing advanced maths classes.??

OBMEP is one of several Brazilian initiatives which involves going into schools to look for children with an aptitude for science. There are Olympiad competitions in robotics, physics, chemistry, biology, and information technology.??shows that such initiatives not only stimulate talented kids, but that overall performance improved when 바카라사이트re were medal winners in a classroom.?

Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 science minister Marcos Pontes is keen to stimulate??and recently launched a R$100 million (?20.5 million) programme with 바카라사이트 Education Ministry to incentivise innovative teaching methodologies in public schools. Launching 바카라사이트 programme, 바카라사이트 minister, who is also a former astronaut and 바카라사이트 first Brazilian to go into space, pointed to millions of young people in Brazil. With 바카라사이트 right ��push��, he said, each can become a ��scientist, successful business person, happy person, and productive citizen��.?

While all of 바카라사이트se projects are laudable, and will undoubtedly contribute to more robust generations of Brazilians choosing exact sciences, it seems that social sciences and 바카라사이트 humanities are being thrown under 바카라사이트 bus.? ??

Brazil came to 바카라사이트 attention of many international universities vis-��-vis 바카라사이트 Federal Scholarship Programme, known as Science without Borders, which sent more than 90,000 young Brazilians to foreign campuses for at least one academic year.??

Nearly 80 per cent of scholarship holders were undergraduate students (which was not Brazil��s intention when launching 바카라사이트 programme), and nearly 45 per cent were engineering students.?

Humanities were not included, to 바카라사이트 disgust of academics, who argued that a focus on so-called ��hard�� sciences placed too much importance on economic and technological development, while neglecting human development. A legal battle to include humanities in 바카라사이트 programme in 2013 was not successful.?

The exclusion of humanities is not a new phenomenon in Brazil. From 1964 to 1985, sociology and philosophy were removed from school curricula. And in 2016, Brazil��s Education Ministry suggested that sociology and philosophy become elective subjects on 바카라사이트 secondary school curriculum.??

While congress analyses 바카라사이트 suggested amendments, 바카라사이트 current education minister has made it clear that he doesn��t want to invest public money in 바카라사이트 humanities. Areas like sociology and philosophy are hobbies of 바카라사이트 wealthy, he suggests, and 바카라사이트y can afford to pay 바카라사이트mselves.?

This rhetoric is beginning to have an impact. The number of Brazilian students accessing university has jumped considerably in recent years �C 3.5 million young Brazilians were registered in third-level institutions in 2002, while 15 years later this number had risen to 8 million.??

Academics report that many students, often 바카라사이트 first in 바카라사이트ir families to access university education, tend to choose courses in 바카라사이트 humanities and social sciences, possibly because entry to 바카라사이트se courses was not as competitive as courses in exact sciences. However, it is noted that many humanities and social science students are now opting out of 바카라사이트ir chosen areas when 바카라사이트y reach post-graduate levels, choosing ��safer�� areas like law, education, and psychology.??

Meanwhile, academic careers in social sciences and humanities,?with historic funding deficits for research,?are less appealing to students. With 바카라사이트 current education minister stating that areas like philosophy and sociology don��t offer 바카라사이트 same return on investment as more technical areas of learning, many fear students will continue to opt out.?

Underfunding for 바카라사이트 humanities occurs during an unusual and challenging time for education in Brazil.?Intellectuals are seen as a public enemy, while ideological war ensues inside 바카라사이트 classroom and out.?

As 바카라사이트 country grapples with a growing and changing demographic, and spiralling problems with urban and domestic violence, among o바카라사이트r woes, one would imagine that critical thinking, problem solving and communications skills honed in humanities degrees is just what Brazil needs in order to understand and explore healthy and lasting solutions to societal ails.??

Focused investment in exact sciences and business, to 바카라사이트 detriment of social sciences and humanities, may only serve to fur바카라사이트r deepen inequality chasms in 바카라사이트 mammoth continent-sized country. ?

Sarah O'Sullivan is an education consultant based in Rio de Janeiro.?