Brazil’s Vice-President Advocates Charging Wealthy Students Tuition at Federal Universities

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Vice-President Hamilton Mourão said that it is “a paradox” in Brazil to provide educational services at federal universities to “people who could pay for their costs [and are] provided with free education, later returning nothing to the country.”

The vice-president was asked about what the government would do to increase the number of youths in higher education, particularly considering that a large part of the population could not afford education. Using his own daughter as an example, a law graduate from a public university, Mourão replied “that it’s having in federal universities people who could pay for their costs. They graduate and exclusively deal with their private lives.”

“I dare to say that some 60 percent of those who attend federal universities can pay,” said the vice-president. “If they were to pay, it would help more students join the private sector and, consequently, increase the percentage of young people with higher education,” said Mourão.

The vice-president argued that payment for public education at federal universities could generate resources to finance programs for students in private institutions. “It’s something we have to seriously consider today and free of preconceptions because [payment to federal universities] could be a resource directed to youths who need funding to pay for a private university,” he said. “It would be a very fair compensation,” he added.

Mourão attended a master class on Wednesday morning, August 26th, for students from the Ser Educacional group.

Source: O Estado de S. Paulo