Lula criticizes the number of law graduates in Brazil and defends exact science courses

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) criticized on Wednesday (6) the large number of law graduates in Brazilian universities, during the accreditation ceremony of the Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics (Impa), in Rio de Janeiro, as an institution of higher education. He advocated a change in educational focus, emphasizing the importance of training in exact sciences for national development.

Lula stated that there is a disparity in the volume of lawyers trained in Brazil compared to countries such as China and India, highlighting that it is necessary to prioritize courses that are “essential for the development of a nation”, such as mathematics, engineering and physics, which he considers essential for global competitiveness.

“It seems to me that Brazil is one of the countries that trains the most lawyers in the world. Not even China and India together, which have 2.6 billion inhabitants, train more lawyers than Brazil”, declared the president.

Despite highlighting that he has no objections to training in law, Lula highlighted the importance of balancing courses to meet the demands of the contemporary world. The significant number of lawyers is pointed out by the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) as a result of the indiscriminate opening of law courses across the country.

A study by the entity’s Federal Council revealed that Brazil has the highest proportion of lawyers per inhabitant in the world, with 1 for every 164 inhabitants. Despite this, the country is second only to India in absolute numbers, with 1.3 million professionals in the field.

“We need more training in mathematics, engineering and physics. We need to take those courses that are essential for the development of a nation, what the world needs today so that we can be more competitive”, highlighted Lula.

During his speech, the president also reiterated his defense of increasing resources for education, highlighting that this is a fundamental investment for the country. He criticized people who, at the same time, praise Southeast Asian countries that invested in education, but complain about the expansion of vacancies in Brazil.

“We cite Singapore as an example, Taiwan. A little daddy. And in Brazil, every time you try to give everyone opportunities, [dizem]: ‘We’re going to drop quality'”, stated Lula.