On a visit to the National Union of Teachers of Higher Education Institutions (Andes SN), in Brasília, the PSTU candidate for the Presidency of the Republic, Vera Lucia, reiterated her programmatic commitment to the defense of a public, free, secular and quality university . During the meeting, she received the Charter of the Andes document, with a series of measures defended by the category.
“Defending the public university is part of our program and our daily struggle. That’s why we defend the expansion of investments that are being reduced every year. It is necessary to increase resources to guarantee quality of education”, said the candidate.
Among the priorities for investments to be made in education, Vera listed points such as better salaries for technicians and teachers and better working conditions. She also defended measures that aim to guarantee the permanence of students in universities: “it is not enough to expand access. It is necessary to guarantee the permanence of students, particularly the poorest; of black men and women; LGBTs, indigenous and working women”.
The candidate also defends the expansion of student assistance policies such as university restaurants, student housing, research grants and day care centers for the children of professors, administrative technicians and students. “We also defend quotas for blacks, blacks, indigenous people and public school students, to democratize access, with a view to ending the entrance exam and guaranteeing broad access to all”, she added.
Vera said that, if elected, she will invest in research and extension, ensuring the advancement of science and expanding the university’s presence among the population, especially the poorest communities. “We affirm our defense of public education. We defend the nationalization of the entire private network of higher education, because education is not a commodity, but a right of all and a duty of the State”.
