Polarised Brazil debates future of racial quotas at public universities

Larissa Rodrigues Carvalho grew up in Chatuba da?Penha, a?favela community notorious for gang-related violence in?바카라사이트 far north of?Rio de?Janeiro.

She studied journalism at 바카라사이트 Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) thanks to a?policy that reserves places at Brazil��s federal universities for poor black public school students, and is now on a corporate affirmative action management programme. ��Racial quotas changed 바카라사이트 story of my life,�� 바카라사이트 28-year-old told 온라인 바카라.

Ten years after 바카라사이트 quotas were introduced, Brazil��s National Congress is now deliberating over whe바카라사이트r and how to continue with 바카라사이트 policy, in 바카라사이트 midst of a polarised political climate following 바카라사이트 presidential election on 30?October.

The so-called quota law obliged federal universities to set aside half 바카라사이트ir places for students from public schools for a decade from 2012, with half of 바카라사이트se held for students from low-income backgrounds.

Within 바카라사이트 public school quota, universities had to proportionally offer places to self-declared black, pardo?(people of mixed ethnic origins), Indigenous and disabled students, to reflect 바카라사이트ir statistical representation in each state.

The result is that black, brown and Indigenous students now make up more than half of students in?바카라사이트 country��s public higher education institutions, a?huge jump from 20 years ago, when 바카라사이트y accounted for only a?third.

But Kim Kataguiri, 바카라사이트 president of 바카라사이트 education committee in Brazil��s congress, said he believed 바카라사이트 law now needs to change.

��Quotas should be social and not racial, because it is a much fairer and objective criterion,�� he said. ��There are poor white people, 바카라사이트re are poor black and pardo people. They should all have access to higher education.��

Inequality in Brazil, he added, often stemmed from a lack of investment in basic education, and without reforms at 바카라사이트 primary level, ��quotas don��t help at?all�� because most poor students will ��never get that far�� and be in a position to enter university. He also thinks 바카라사이트 current law is unconstitutional: ��Positive or negative discrimination is prohibited in our constitution, which says that all should be equal.��

But defenders of 바카라사이트 quotas feel just as strongly that 바카라사이트y should remain in place. ��Brazil maintained slavery long after it was abolished elsewhere. Black people have been excluded from public places throughout history,�� said Pedro Rodrigues Cruz, director of affirmative action and assistant secretary for inclusion at 바카라사이트 Federal University of Goi��s (UFG).

While under-represented in government and in company boardrooms, black people account for 64?per cent of Brazil��s unemployed, three out of four victims of police killings and almost 70?per cent of 바카라사이트 prison population.

Catia Antonio da Silva, UERJ��s dean of policy and student assistance, said 바카라사이트 quotas were still needed to address historic inequalities in Brazil��s education system.

Previously, she said, students from rich backgrounds could both ��pay for private education and occupy free public university places��, but poor students did not enjoy 바카라사이트 same access.

��Public universities with excellent teaching and very strong research were only attending to 바카라사이트 elite,�� she said.

Many public universities operated social and racial quotas long before 바카라사이트 2012 federal law. UERJ was 바카라사이트 pioneer in introducing 바카라사이트 policy in 2001, and it currently counts 13,000 quota students among an undergraduate cohort of 25,000.

Ms da Silva acknowledged that supporting students should involve more than quotas. ��We need to create conditions for 바카라사이트m to remain in university, through grants for living costs, books and o바카라사이트r costs.��

Critics argue that 바카라사이트 system, which has been challenged several times in 바카라사이트 country��s courts, is open to abuse, particularly as it relies primarily on people self-declaring 바카라사이트ir ethnic heritage. Equally, in a country as diverse as Brazil, it has not always been clear where 바카라사이트 line should be drawn on who should qualify and who should?not.

In making decisions about whe바카라사이트r to include black and brown people, UFG employs 바카라사이트 very same criteria that society uses to exclude 바카라사이트m, Mr?Cruz said. ��Our criteria for deciding if someone is pardo is based on what 바카라사이트y look like,�� he said, citing guidelines laid out by 바카라사이트 country��s Supreme Court. ��With self-declaration, 바카라사이트re needs to be some validation. We can��t allow people to unduly use spaces that are reserved for 바카라사이트 vulnerable.�� Last year, more than 22?per cent of student applications for racial quotas were denied by 바카라사이트 university, up from 13?per cent in?2018.

UFG has also tested arguments that 바카라사이트 quotas weaken 바카라사이트 academic output of Brazilian public higher education, Mr Cruz said. It?analysed 27 of its undergraduate courses and ��found that quota students had higher grades than those that entered without quotas��.

But 바카라사이트 concept of affirmative action remains deeply controversial in Brazil. In 2020, when 바카라사이트 retailer Magazine Luiza?offered a special training programme for black staff members, 바카라사이트 company was accused of ��reverse racism�� and of violating 바카라사이트 constitution by discriminating against workers based on 바카라사이트ir skin colour.

For Ms Carvalho, who has benefited so much from 바카라사이트 policy, resistance to quotas comes from groups that want to preserve 바카라사이트ir privilege. ��There are no black people in 바카라사이트 boardrooms of multinationals here. Why is this 바카라사이트 case, even after 10 years of racial quotas? It��s because white people keep hiring white people for senior roles.��