Brasília, May 11, 2004 (Agência Brasil) - The Presidential chief of staff, Minister José Dirceu, disclosed that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has already endorsed the bill creating the University for All Program (Prouni) and will present it to the members of the National Social Development Council (CNDS) on Thursday (13).
"The President has already given his endorsement to the University for All, which is ready to be submitted to the National Congress," Dirceu informed after a meeting with the Minister of Education, Tarso Genro.
The program will reserve a certain number of places in private universities for needy students with per capita family incomes of less than one minimum wage, preferibly public school graduates and basic education teachers in the public school system. Selection will be based on the results of the National Secondary School Examinations (Enem), instead of the usual university entrance exams.
"The project combines two fundamental components, first offering an extraordinary opportunity to basic education teachers and young people from public schools, and, within this, applying the quota system," Genro commented.
Another article included in the bill plans to set the percentage of places for black, mulatto, and native students in accordance with the figures contained in the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics' (IBGE) most recent census. "This totally eliminates the possibility of self-classification as a member of the black community," he said.
The Prouni will permit private universities, philanthropical or profit-oriented, to prefer to grant these students full scholarships in return for an exemption from taxes for which they are currently liable, such as the Social Security Tax (ISS) and the Social Contribution on Net Profit (CSLL). The Ministry of Education expects that at least 70 thousand openings will be filled.
The institutions that choose to adhere to the Prouni will also guarantee the participation of students enrolled in programs such as Student Credit (Fies).
Minister Genro advised that the project will "separate the wheat from the chaff," compelling phony philanthropical universities to adapt themselves.
"Those institutions that are genuinely philanthropic will have an easy time adjusting, since they will not be making any sacrifices. But the bogus philanthropical ones will not make the adjustment, because they will have to be forthright and will have to change a lot of things," the Minister said.
Translator: David Silberstein
