President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defended education this Monday (9) as part of the commitment to combat violence against women, during the delivery of ambulances and the signing of agreements in the areas of education and health in the city of Mauá, in the ABC region of São Paulo.
Lula highlighted that the study prevents men from perpetrating gender-based violence and is a fundamental element for the emancipation of women.
“A woman cannot live with a man for a plate of food, for rent. That makes no sense,” he said.
Lula also gave a tough speech to encourage men to fight violence against women, so that they report the cases, and stated that whoever attacks them will be reported and that “before they hit the woman, they will hit their head against a wall”.
The president asked the Minister of Education, Camilo Santana, to include a culture of gender equality in the school curriculum, from daycare to university.
Federal Institute
At the event, the president signed, together with the minister and other authorities, the initial investment for the purchase of the building that will house the Federal Institute of São Paulo (IFSP) unit in Mauá. The closest IFSP is in the northern region of the capital of São Paulo, and is one of the references in technical education integrated into secondary education.
The agreement allocates R$44.8 million for the construction of the IF in Mauá, with around R$32 million for the acquisition of the headquarters and another R$10 million for the purchase of equipment and furniture, through the New PAC. The state of São Paulo should receive a total of 14 federal technical institutes, totaling more than R$515 million in investment.
The new unit will serve around 1,400 students, with activities expected to begin in the first half of this year, with 40-hour professional qualification courses.
After this adaptation period, the unit will receive courses in industrial control and processes (mechatronics, mechanical manufacturing, production planning and control) and information and communication (IT).
The IFSP acquired the campus in December 2025 and began renovations in January of this year.
The mayor of Mauá, Marcelo Oliveira, recalled that the unit has been a demand from the city’s residents since 2010, marking greater quality and access to education.
The city will also receive a polyclinic, which will also serve residents of Ribeirão Pires and Rio Grande da Serra. The unit will consist of an ultrasound room, a lilac room (dedicated to welcoming victims of violence), a tomography room, comprehensive mental health care, spaces for rehabilitation and other services. The polyclinic is part of the Agora Tem Especialistas Program, focused on reducing queues and speeding up access to specialized consultations and exams in the public network.
The Minister of Health, Alexandre Padilha, informed that the polyclinic’s equipment, such as a CT scanner, prevents the population from having to seek care in hospitals, leaving them to urgent care and hospitalization.
Since last week, Carreta da Saúde has provided more than 1,000 consultations in specialties in the city, with the aim of clearing the queue within a month. The delivery of 34 ambulances from the Mobile Emergency Care Service (Samu) to Mauá, and another 30 vehicles to Santo André, São Bernardo do Campo, São Caetano do Sul and Diadema, was announced. The federal investment in the initiative is R$10 million.
A Basic Health Unit (UBS) is under construction in Mauá, financed by the New PAC Health, which will have four Family Health teams and another four Oral Health teams.
Investments
Lula highlighted the importance of investments throughout the country, regardless of the ruling party.
“When we hold an important political position, we don’t have the right to be petty, we don’t have the right to be small. When I was elected, I called the 27 governors and asked them to say which works were the most important, so we could put them in the PAC. Then, I called the mayors and we did the same thing. What matters to me is whether the work is important, whether it will be good for the people. I put money in, that’s how it is in my head,” said the president, adding that politicians must respond to population, even outside the electoral period.
