Teachers from 6 USP units approve strike – 09/26/2023 – Education

Professors from six faculties and institutes linked to USP (University of São Paulo) approved a strike this Tuesday (26), in support of the strike initiated by students at the institution. The movement should last at least until next Monday (2), when a new assembly will be held to decide whether Adusp (Association of Teachers at the University of São Paulo) will formally join the strike.

“Nobody wants to use the instrument of strike, but when we don’t have a concrete response from the administration we need to make ourselves heard,” said the association’s president, Michele Schultz, professor at EACH (School of Arts, Sciences and Humanities).

Teachers from FFLCH (Faculty of Philosophy, Letters and Human Sciences), Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Education, Institute of Mathematics and Statistics and the School of Engineering of Lorena, in the interior of São Paulo, also participated in the assembly that defined the strike. According to Adusp, it is not yet possible to measure teachers’ adherence to the mobilization.

Next Thursday (28), the university rectory must present a proposal to the striking students. Hiring teachers and strengthening the student retention policy are at the center of the demands. This Monday (25), students from the Faculty of Law and the Polytechnic School of USP announced their support for the strike.

“Student mobilization is our main thermometer. We realize that the faculty is becoming aware of the situation we are in,” said Schultz, who expects greater support from the university’s professors in the coming days. “Everything will depend on what the rectory presents on Thursday.”

According to a survey carried out by Adusp based on payrolls available on the Transparency Portal, the university’s teaching staff has shrunk by 17.56% since 2014. The number of permanent teachers, according to the entity, fell from 5,934 to 4,892 in August this year.

The teacher shortage hit some units even more severely. The School of Nursing, for example, lost almost half (47%) of its teachers, according to Adusp. The FEA (Faculty of Economics, Administration and Accounting) and the FSP (Faculty of Public Health) had their staff reduced by approximately 30%.

As shown by Sheet, the ratio of professor to student at USP is the lowest in 20 years. In 2002, the university had 0.07 educators for each enrolled student, a number that dropped to 0.05 last year.

The lack of teachers has already led some colleges to cancel mandatory subjects, even causing delays in graduations.

Elected at the end of 2021 by the academic community, Carlos Gilberto Carlotti Júnior took over as rector of USP, with his main promises being the resumption of hiring and the recovery of salaries. Still in 2022, the dean announced the hiring of 879 professionals, in stages, until 2025. According to the dean’s office, 238 vacancies have already been filled.

On Wednesday (27), there will be an assembly of USP employees to decide whether or not to strike and discuss the collective agreement for technical-administrative workers.