By Richard Mann, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Level Personnel (Capes), a branch of Brazil’s Ministry of Education, announced on Tuesday, June 4th, that it was cutting over 2,700 masters, doctorate and postdoctorate scholarships.
All cuts apply to courses with low rating evaluations, and to scholarships that might still be awarded in the future; they do not affect current Capes grantees.
The following will be cut: 2,331 Masters scholarships; 335 doctorate and 58 post-doctorate fellowships
With this second announcement, Capes has achieved a total reduction of 6,198 scholarships in 2019. The new block represents a reduction of R$4 (US$1) million in 2019, and should correspond to R$35 million by 2020.
According to Anderson Lozi, managing director of Capes, considering the previous cut, there is a total saving of approximately R$300 million.
He also reported that, should there be progress in the financial situation, part of the amount may be recovered. However, a new future cut in scholarships is not ruled out.
According to Capes, this new measure is designed to “align the granting of scholarships in the country with periodic evaluations, preserving the best-rated courses over the past ten years.”
The analyzed ratings were those obtained in 2013 Triennial and 2017 Quadrennial evaluations.
In a note, the National Association of Graduate Students (ANPG) criticized the measure. “The new cut by Capes will mainly affect the North and Northeast, areas with a greater number of low-rated courses, due to greater financial difficulties. The measure further encourages research in the center-south, prolonging the country’s regional disparities.”