USP creates racial quotas for contests and is criticized for having few vacancies

The University Council of the University of São Paulo (USP) approved, last Monday (22), the adoption of racial quotas for blacks, browns and indigenous people in their future public competitions for professors and employees. The reservation of 20% of the vacancies will be guaranteed in contests with more than three vacancies.

According to the university’s rectory, USP will open around 500 vacancies by 2025 for professors. In the case of selection with less than three vacancies, the university will use the so-called differentiated score, established by state decree. Through this system, the average scores of candidates in competition and that of blacks, browns and indigenous people are analyzed, with the granting of a bonus for the second group. The self-declaration as black or brown made by the candidate will be subject to confirmation by a hetero-identification panel.

Even with these measures, black university students and collectives criticized the new rule. According to them, the decision makes it impossible in practice to apply quotas for teacher competitions, whose public notices, in general, provide for the opening of only one vacancy.

USP’s Black Consciousness Nucleus, for example, stated that the entity was not invited to debate the topic, nor did it have space to talk about the issue at the council meeting that took place this Tuesday (23). The entity also recalled that only 5% of professors at the university declare themselves to be black or brown.

In a note, the USP press office stated that the University Council has a composition that includes all segments of the university and external to it and that the proposal discussed and approved yesterday is the result of the debates that took place in the Council for Inclusion and Belonging. In the case of contests with less than three vacancies, USP reinforced that the differentiated score will benefit blacks, browns and indigenous people.