Students and teachers against Bolsonaro | Call …

Students and university professors have called for a general strike on May 15 against the adaptation of President Jair Bolsonaro in the fields of culture and education. The decision was made after Brazil's far-right president announced a 30% budget cut in all Brazilian universities and educational institutions. This measure is complemented by the amendments to the Rouanet law, now renamed the Federal Law on Incentives to Culture, whose amounts have undergone substantial changes (from 60 million to one million).

The new Bolsonaro Education Minister, Abraham Weintraub, announced last week that the budget of the Federal University of Bahia (north-east), Fluminense Federal University, in Niterói, had been reduced south -est) and the National University of Brasilia (center-west), places where demonstrations had recently taken place against the government of the former captain of the army.

"Universities that, instead of trying to improve their academic performance, create disorder, will suffer budget cuts," the minister threatened. Then he extended the reduction to all the federal institutes in the country.

Faced with the adjustment, teachers and students will take to the streets to denounce the fact that Bolsonaro seeks to impose an education with "a single thought that undermines fundamental rights," warned the president of the National Union teachers from higher education institutions (Andes). Antonio Gonçalves. For her part, the director of the National Union of Students (UNE), Marianna Dias, announced that bademblies would be organized next week to "show the president the strength of the universities".

"Bolsonaro is looking for a country without national development, a country without industry, a country without technology and totally dependent on imports," added Dias.

The initiative led by student leaders has the support of the education sector, which has already announced that it would join the demonstration. In this sense, Antonio Gonçalves, president of the National Union of Teachers of Higher Education Institutions (Andes), has criticized the Brazilian government for trying to impose an education with "a unique thought that undermines fundamental rights ". The measure against universities came after the president announced on Twitter that he would reduce public funds allocated to the fields of philosophy and sociology, a decision that was heavily questioned.

"When people go to the university to party, make stories, skip clbades or attend absurd seminars that do not contribute anything to society, money sweat is wasted," said Minister Weintraub on April 10. shortly after taking office in place of Ricardo Velez, sacked after several statements and controversial proposals.

But education is not the only attack on Bolsonaro, which imposed, at the end of April, essential modifications to the law on cultural patronage, which allowed the companies to make big investments in artistic projects (shows, exhibitions , movies) in exchange for: they could deduct a percentage of these funds from their income tax. Minister of Citizenship Osmar Terra has reduced to one million the ceiling of 60 million real incentives for each project. The law, previously described by Bolsonaro, was "a shame" because, in his opinion, it is a way to "co-opt" the artists lined up to the left.