Multiply affirmative actions – 07/19/2023 – Cida Bento

As part of the reflections that could emerge in the country in these new times, we have been encouraged to think about the urgency of creating a more humane, egalitarian, green model of economic growth and attuned to the demands of technological changes that particularly affect the future of work.

In this scenario, the nature and impact of artificial intelligence in our lives and all the challenges of technological innovations are placed, as realities that need to be researched and debated for having a strong impact on the future of our youth, especially the most vulnerable groups.

It is in this context that, in July 2023, a welcome initiative by the MEC (Ministry of Education) appears. This is the now recreated Abdias Nascimento Academic Development Program, an affirmative action policy that aims to support the training of high-level human resources and encourage academic-scientific research in various areas of knowledge. Its results and products should subsidize the government in policies that ensure equality of rights and opportunities, of gender, race, ethnicity, regions and people with disabilities.

The Abdias Nascimento Program was launched by MEC through Secadi/MEC (Secretary of Continued Literacy, Diversity and Inclusion) and Capes (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel) and has invested more than R$ 600 million for its implementation .

Concrete initiatives like this one are fundamental for strengthening Brazilian democracy, which may show results in the not too distant future and connect projects in the field of scientific innovations with the fight against inequalities. If the implementation of the program contemplates goals and monitoring systems on its impact on public policies, good results will surely come, as well as the reduction of historical inequalities that destabilize Brazilian society.

Similar affirmative action initiatives need to be multiplied, as Brazil is the size of a continent, and the groups affected by inequalities make up the majority of our population. On the other hand, affirmative actions need to be extended to basic education, which has the potential to offer an educational base and prepare our population to face the future challenges of the world of work.

Thus, another formal and legal responsibility of Secadi/MEC that needs to be urgently implemented are the changes made to the LDB by law 10.639/03, which obliges the teaching of African and Afro-Brazilian history and culture in school systems. Accelerating this process is fundamental, in particular with regard to the supply of inputs and the training of educators and managers regarding compliance with this important regulation.

It is the duty of the State, in this case the duty of the MEC, to institutionalize the amendments to the LDB by law 10.639/03, which completed 20 years in 2023 and can make a difference in promoting equity, placing the country on another level in the evaluations of the educational system, whether internal or external.

The strengthening of basic, secondary, technical, higher and post-graduate education, with affirmative actions that ensure the qualified participation of children, adolescents and young people from all population segments, will certainly contribute to improving the future of labor relations and broadening perspectives on promoting the green economy, as well as critical understanding and debate on the role of technological innovations in our lives.

Of course, economic and socio-environmental growth requires the participation of broad social sectors and involves government, business and diverse social instances. But, if the majority of the population is more appropriate to the context in which it is inserted, it can lead to raising the level and social demands that ensure good living.

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