AFFIRMATIVE ACTION DEBATE CONTINUES IN BRAZIL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 SAO PAULO 000875

SIPDIS

NSC FOR SUE CRONIN

DEPT ALSO FOR WHA/PD

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KCRM ECON PHUM BTIO EINV SOCI BR TIP
SUBJECT: AFFIRMATIVE ACTION DEBATE CONTINUES IN BRAZIL

REF: A) 04 Sao Paulo 843

B) 04 Sao Paulo 789
C) 03 Rio 823


1. (U) Summary: On June 10-11, government officials, non-
profit organizations, educators, interested citizens, and
representatives from 20 public Brazilian universities met in
Sao Paulo for a two-day nation-wide conference to discuss
nascent affirmative action programs in higher education.
Many programs in Brazil include specific quotas for students
graduating from public high schools, who typically are
dramatically underrepresented in elite Brazilian public
universities. Debate on viable ways of creating equity in
the education system continues in Brazil. Although many
attendees were optimistic about the academic success of
students admitted under quota programs, some activist groups
are not pleased about delays in implementation of government
mandated affirmative action requirements currently under
debate. The Conference themes went beyond university policy
and included cultural performances, health awareness and
community building. End Summary

FOCUS ON QUOTA PROGRAMS
--------------


2. (U) The Office for Coordination of Black Affairs of the
City of Sao Paulo (CONE) organized the two-day conference
held in one of Sao Paulo's major convention centers. The
conference received not only the support of the GOB and the
State of Sao Paulo, but also support of the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),
private companies and educational institutions. University
representatives from distant states were flown in for the
event to present information on affirmative action programs
in place at their institutions. Universities from the five
states in Sao Paulo's consular district were represented:
the Federal University of Sao Paulo's School of Medicine,
the State University of Campinas (State of Sao Paulo),the
State University of Santa Catarina, the Federal University
of Parana, the State University of Mato Grosso do Sul, and
the State University of Rio Grande do Sul. Many affirmative
action programs in Brazil specifically target graduates of
the public school system, regardless of racial or ethnic
background. Public school students of all races are
underrepresented in the elite public universities. In a
recent meeting with Poloff, Mario Luiz Cortes, head of CONE,
stated that the location of Sao Paulo for this nationwide
conference had symbolic value. He said that the University
of Sao Paulo (USP),a very large and prestigious public
university located in the city, has resisted the
implementation of affirmative action measures, and CONE
wished to bring administrators from universities from all
over Brazil to the city in this well-publicized and
sponsored event.

AN UNEQUAL SYSTEM
--------------


3. (U) Significantly, all the universities involved in the
Conference were public universities, traditionally the
"elites" of higher education in Brazil. The private and
public education systems have historically been very
unequal. Public elementary/secondary schools suffer from a
lack of resources, high classroom enrollment and low teacher
salaries. Few middle or upper-middle class families choose
to send their children to public elementary and secondary
schools if they can afford private school tuition. In
contrast, public universities are well funded, have very
competitive entrance exams, offer excellent programs, and
award prestigious degrees to their graduates. Furthermore,
tuition at public universities is free or extremely low
cost. For example, the Federal University of Minas Gerais
(UFMG) charges approximately 150 Reals (USD 61) per semester
for tuition and fees. Dormitory housing at UFMG costs about
USD 105 per month. Graduates of public high schools in
Brazil are frequently unprepared to pass the difficult
entrance exams to these elite public universities. These
students must pay high private university tuition or not
attend college at all. The Education Ministry estimates
that 16 percent of all university students are Afro-
Brazilian. AfroBras, the Afro-Brazilian advocacy NGO,
estimates only 3 to 7 percent of students in public
universities are Afro-Brazilian.

POSITIVE VIEW FROM SOME UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATORS
-------------- --------------


4. (U) Some university affirmative action administrators
are optimistic about the ultimate academic success of
students who entered under quota systems. The coordinator
of affirmative action at the Federal University of Sao Paulo
(UNIFESP),Marcos Ferraz, remarked that despite differences
in family income, computer ownership, and internet access in
the home, the academic performance of quota students is
"similar" to that of non-quota students at UNIFESP and he is
confident about the success of quota-based students as they
pass through the university course. In the School of
Medicine, the difference in the grades of the best quota
based student and the best student who entered under the
traditional system was ten points (on a scale of 100).
(Note: Absolute scores are unavailable. End Note.) Ferraz
acknowledged that quota-based students needed assistance
from the university -- generally in the form of computer
access and scholarships, but he is ultimately confident of
their success in the normal course of studies. The average
monthly family income for students who enter UNIFESP as
beneficiaries of the quota system is approximately USD 720,
as compared to an average family monthly income of USD 1,600
for students who enter under the regular admissions process.
Computer ownership and Internet access rates are also
dissimilar. 62 percent of quota beneficiaries own a
computer and 48 percent have internet access in their homes,
while 93 percent of non-quota students own computers and 88
percent have home internet access.


5. (U) The Federal University of Parana (UFPR) has had
affirmative action programs in place since 2002. Under
UFPR's program, 20 percent of entrance slots are reserved
for Afro-Brazilians and persons of mixed ancestry, and 20
percent are reserved for public high school graduates,
regardless of race or ethnicity. The University Rector from
UFPR stated that his university supports the separate
category for Afro-Brazilian and persons of mixed ancestry
because those students, regardless of whether they graduate
from public schools or prestigious private ones, experience
discrimination and racism in Brazilian society.

DELAYS IN IMPLEMENTATION UPSET HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS
-------------- --------------


6. (U) Brazilian non-profit organizations such as Educafro
(Education and Citizenship for Afro-Brazilians and the
Needy) and the MSU (Movement of those Without Access to
Universities) are pressing for immediate implementation of
quota-systems in all public universities. In June, however,
GOB Education Minister Tarso Genro addressed an audience of
non-profit organizations in Sao Paulo and outlined a
proposal that would delay immediate implementation of quotas
for federal universities. The proposal would give federal
universities until 2015 to implement programs requiring that
fifty percent of entering students be graduates of public
secondary schools, and would allow each institution to reach
the goal in a variety of ways, not necessarily through a
quota system. The GOB's earlier proposal requiring
immediate implementation of a quota-based system reportedly
encountered stiff opposition from many federal university
administrators, many of whom believed the plan was not
feasible. The affirmative action debate in Brazil has
included concerns that students from public schools will not
be able to compete in the rigorous public university system,
and that lower academic standards will result. (See Reftel
A.) Many university administrators feel that institutions
should be able to reach equity goals through a variety of
methods, such as programs that provide entrance exam
preparation, academic assistance, and scholarships to public
school students, rather than through mandated quota systems.
Human rights and Afro-Brazilian advocacy groups remain
adamant that they will not wait ten years for full
implementation of affirmative action programs. According to
press reports, David Santos, executive director of Educafro,
stated that "clearly" the Ministry is "giving in to
pressures." The coordinator of MSU stated that, despite the
Education Ministry announcement delaying proposed
implementation of affirmative action programs in Federal
universities, "We will continue to fight." A public forum
to debate university affirmative action programs, organized
by the Educational and Cultural Commission of Congress,
originally planned for April, was postponed; it now appears
a scaled-back version of the forum, now billed as a seminar,
may take place in August in Brasilia.

MORE THAN JUST QUOTAS
--------------


7. (U) The scope of the Sao Paulo event went beyond the
presentation of statistical data on affirmative action
programs throughout Brazil. Speakers also addressed Afro-
Brazilian consciousness; health issues, particularly
HIV/AIDs; and Afro-Brazilian self-support programs. The
largely Afro-Brazilian audience included a large number of
young adults (senior high school and university students),
some of whom apparently attended to fulfill course
requirements, as well as public school educators and
interested community members.


8. (SBU) Comment: While conferences on affirmative action,
such as the Sao Paulo city government sponsored conference
in June, shine a useful spotlight on racial and socio-
economic inequalities in Brazil, it is not clear how
effective they will be in promoting substantive progress.
The conference received little press coverage, and from our
observation, appeared to reach a limited audience beyond
those who were already committed to the implementation of
affirmative action programs. Despite the optimism of some
public university administrators present at the conference
about the initial success of their programs, educational
affirmative action programs currently appear to be reaching
only a small slice of the socio-economically disadvantaged
population. Almost all affirmative action advocacy efforts
have been focused on the implementation of controversial
quotas for racially disadvantaged groups and public school
students, with little focus on expanding opportunities for
quality public school education at the primary and secondary
level. End Comment.

WOLFE