A MANIFEST FROM BRAZILIAN
YOUNG DOCTORS
Sérvio P. Ribeiro1, Milton de S. Mendonça Júnior2, Edésio M. Barbosa3 and J.Adauto de Souza Neto4
The scientific community in Brazil is facing a dramatic situation. Unlike Europe or the US, where there is a higher number of PhDs than an offer of jobs, in Brazil we still have a large demand of PhDs for potential research positions, mainly in the Universities. Brazil has a population of nearly 169 million people, where only 0.02 % have a PhD degree (IBGE, Censo 2000). In Brazil, almost all scientific research is done on Federal Universities, supported by the National government. This is a system composed of 52 large Universities, found all over the Country. In those universities, there is currently a lack of people for both teaching and for research: lecturers face time and personnel constraints on their research programmes. Strategic areas such as ecology, sociology, economy, history, and engineering require research on applied aspects as well as on basic ones, and should be directed to solve serious, urgent national problems. However, academic positions have not been offered for more than three years. Due to a governmental decree (article number 3, Decree 2,373), from 10th November 1997, the opening of permanent positions has been systematically cancelled, which reflects a policy that jeopardises public universities and basic research itself. The scientific development of a large and important region of the world has been compromised by this irresponsible attitude of the Brazilian government. A whole generation of young Doctors can be lost for research in the Universities, in a sensitive moment of the history of science in Brazil. For instance, between 1998 and 1999, only 1,481 new Doctors were added to the staff of these 52 Federal Universities. During the same period, 8,790 Brazilian students obtained their PhD title (INEP/MEC 2000)! It must be realised that these young Doctors are the result of decades of investment on the part of the Brazilian government. Some of them obtained their PhDs in the best scientific centres worldwide, and have worked in strategic areas to the development of Brazil. Each of these PhD students cost about US$ 22,680.00 per year abroad, and US$ 7,250.00 per year in Country, to the Brazilian society (CNPq 2000). According The Brazilian Council for Scientific and Technological Development, CNPq, only in grants, Brazil spent US$ 65,631,910.00 in 1998, and US$ 38,708,594.00 in 1999 (already a significantly lower investment in the last year). Fees as high as US$ 18,000.00 per year in UK, and costs in average US$ 10,000.00 per grant world-wide (CNPq 2000). This is the first time that such a large number of well-trained scientists are available to the market in Brazil, with the potential for fulfilling the needs of our country in various scientific areas. These young researchers were supposed to be the link between the Brazilian scientific community and the world scientific community. This necessary link to enhance Brazil's position in the international scene, and to open opportunities for collaborative enterprises and scientific projects, has been neglected by the Brazilian government.
After several protests along the first months of this year, and a long negotiation with the universities, the Brazilian government seemed to be willing to change the situation. However, the truth came in March 20, and in a disappointing attitude the government launched a new Decree (Portaria 63/2001), prohibiting the opening of any new positions in the Federal Universities, including temporary contracts!
Right now, there is little political strength in the national scientific community to protest loudly enough on its own to be heard. Therefore, we decided to mobilise this community and its international counterpart through various manifests in the media, including the Internet, aiming to show the national government there is a public interest in the development of Science in Brazil, and that there is also a qualified working force with conditions to help the country to try to overcome social and economic problems.
Please, send your message of solidarity to the following emails below:
[email protected]
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1 - Departamento de Biologia Geral/ICB, Universidade Federal
de Minas Gerais, CP 484 - 30161-970, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
2 - Laboratório de Ecologia de Insetos, Departamento
de Zoologia, UFRGS, Av. Paulo Gama, s/nº, CEP 90040-090, Porto Alegre,
RS, Brazil.
3 - LEM - Laboratoire Environnement et Minéralurgie
15, Avenue du Charmois BP40, F-54501 Vandoeuvre Les Nancy Cedex, France
4 - Departamento de Geologia, Centro de Ciências
Exatas e da Terra, Campus Universitário, Lagoa Nova, CEP 59.072-970,
Natal, RN, Brazil
