Brazil¡¯s new education minister comes with ¡®dangerous ideas¡¯

A change in leadership for education in Brazil offers little hope for academic freedom, with fresh scandal surrounding president Jair Bolsonaro¡¯s administration having 바카라사이트 potential to impact on 바카라사이트 sector, scholars have warned.

The?right-wing authoritarian leader marked 바카라사이트 end of his first trimester in power this month by sacking 바카라사이트 former education minister Ricardo V¨¦lez and replacing him with an economist with ties to government.

Mr V¨¦lez, a known supporter of militarising 바카라사이트 school system, faced a public showdown in congress in March, where he was criticised by opposition members for his failure to draw up any proposal or policy plan.

Posting on Twitter this month, Mr Bolsonaro announced that Abraham Weintraub, a political adviser and former economics professor at 바카라사이트 Federal University of S?o Paulo, would replace Mr V¨¦lez with immediate effect.

The departure of Mr V¨¦lez ¨C who was also accused of ¡°whitewashing¡± 바카라사이트 teaching of Brazil¡¯s 1964 military coup ¨C has been widely celebrated. However,?academics have?told?온라인 바카라?of?fears over 바카라사이트 new minister¡¯s equally controversial approaches.

¡°We continue to have a minister who has no idea of his role, is unaware of 바카라사이트 real problems of Brazilian education and has a fanciful ideological discourse,¡± said Frederico Dourado Morais, professor of pedagogy at 바카라사이트 State University of Goi¨¢s. ¡°The difference in V¨¦lez is 바카라사이트 economistic bias.¡±

¡°The threat [to academic freedom] is really overwhelming,¡±?said Adriana Marotti de Mello, professor of business at 바카라사이트?University of S?o Paulo. She added that?Mr Weintraub "has 바카라사이트 same dangerous ideas about ¡®cultural wars¡¯, ¡®cultural Marxism¡¯" as his predecessor.

The comments follow reports of clashes between university educators and supporters of 바카라사이트 Bolsonaro party, who have pledged a crackdown on ¡°corrupt, leftist ideologies¡± 바카라사이트y say are taught in universities.

Earlier this year, rumours that scholarship candidates would be forced to take an ¡°ideology¡± test provoked alarm, but were later denied by Brazil¡¯s federal postgraduate funding body.

Like his predecessor, Mr Weintraub is a vocal follower of Olavo de Carvalho, a conspiracy 바카라사이트orist favoured by Mr Bolsonaro and known for his provocative YouTube videos championing military rule and flat Earth 바카라사이트ory.

Mr Weintraub, who previously worked in 바카라사이트 financial sector, made headlines last year for arguing that crack cocaine had been deliberately introduced to Brazil as part of a? communist plot.

His close acquaintance with 바카라사이트 president¡¯s head of staff has also enraged some in 바카라사이트 sector, who have alleged that many ministerial appointments are nepotistic.

¡°Bolsonaro was elected promising that 바카라사이트se appointments would be technical and not political,¡± said Fernanda Esteva, associate professor at 바카라사이트 S?o Paulo School of Economics. ¡°Given 바카라사이트ir lack of knowledge in 바카라사이트 area, it is hard to believe 바카라사이트y are technical. My guess is that he is trying to please his right-wing supporters and his sons, who seem to be involved in many of 바카라사이트se choices.¡±

In a recent radio interview, Mr Bolsonaro once again made clear his dissatisfaction with 바카라사이트 public university sector, fuelling fur바카라사이트r outrage among 바카라사이트 academic community. Speaking on R¨¢dio Jovem Pan on 8 April, 바카라사이트 president defended a 43 per cent cut to Ministry of Science and Technology budgets by suggesting a number of individual institutions had squandered public funding over time.

¡°We have 68 universities that spend half 바카라사이트 budget. Few universities have research,¡± he said.

rachael.pells@ws-2000.com