📋 Tender Overview
The internalization of higher education expanded access to education and contributed to the development of needy regions. This was one of the conclusions of the debate promoted on Wednesday (26) by the Education Commission (CE). The purpose of the public hearing, required () by Senator Wellington Fagundes (PL-MT), was to discuss the social, economic, cultural and technological role of federal universities created in the interior of Brazil, called Supernovas. The meeting also addressed administrative structures, positions and financing needs of these institutions, which are completing seven years of existence in March.
Wellington believes that these institutions play a key role in the democratization of teaching, expanding the offer of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in regions away from large urban centers. The creation of so -called supernovas universities represents a milestone in the decentralization of quality education, allowing young people from previously unassisted regions to have the opportunity to qualify without having to leave their cities natal. This not only strengthens education, but it also stimulates the local economy, generates jobs and promotes social inclusion, Wellington argued. These universities say, according to him, a strategic role for the development of the country as they also foster research, innovation and regional growth, allowing local communities, whether indigenous or rural workers, have access to education.
The so -called federal universities supernovas were created from the break -up of larger institutions, such as the federal universities of Goias, Mato Grosso, Piaui, rural Pernambuco and Tocantins. Among them are the Federal University of Rondonopolis (MT), Federal University of Delta do Parnaiba (PI), Federal University of Jatai (GO), Federal University of Catalan (GO), Federal University of Northern Tocantins (TO) and Federal University of Agreste de Pernambuco (PE).
Advances and Challenges
The rectors of these six universities participated in the hearing and have presented an overview of the advances made in the last seven years. Highlights include improvement in institutional evaluations, with maximum notes in recess, as well as the consolidation of accessibility and social inclusion projects considered innovative. Dean Roselma Lucchese, from the Federal University of Catalan, stressed that these institutions were created to meet the cultural, environmental and social characteristics of the regions where they are inserted, promoting significant transformations.
We have been doing this project for seven years and we do the difference, so much so that many of us have managed to substantially improve our undergraduate courses, he said.
In turn, the rector of the University of Delta do Parnaiba, Joao Paulo Macedo, reported that the institution he runs annually R $ 110 million in the city of Parnaiba and nearby municipalities, helping to develop and transform the region. These R $ 110 million naturally involve the payment of staff, but also the hiring of services and, at the same time, scholarships and student assistance, making the real estate market of our cities and opening new fronts, whether in health, education, tourism - exemplified. Despite the progress, the challenges remain. The rectors pointed to difficulties related to physical infrastructure, continuous financing and expansion of teaching and technical staff. Covid-19 pandemic was also mentioned as a critical period that required rapid adaptations in teaching strategies. The rector of the University of Rondonopolis, Analy Castilho de Souza, defended the holding of new public tenders to face these obstacles.
