USP Rectory says it will fail striking students due to absence

The Rectory of the University of São Paulo (USP) released a statement this Thursday (26) informing that the academic calendar has not been changed and that if students continue on strike they may fail due to absence. The student mobilization began on September 19th at the Faculty of Philosophy, Letters and Human Sciences (FFLCH), and, days later, several university institutes joined the protest.

The strike completed five weeks. According to the statement, as of the sixth week of the strike, students will no longer be able to make up classes. The academic calendar will not be changed and ends on December 22nd, informed the Brazil Agency. The Board of Directors of the USP Teachers’ Association (Adusp) said that it received the report with “outrage” and sent, this Thursday (26), to the USP Undergraduate Council (CoG) a letter in which it requests that the regulation be revoked.

“It is retaliation for the student movement, as it limits the possibility of replacing classes and establishes a reduction in the frequency percentage, which can result in undue and unjustified failures”, says the entity. In practice, the threat means that some students may lose their place at the institution, as failure in all subjects in the same semester is not permitted.

In a statement, the USP Central Student Directory (DCE) stated that the possibility of failure is a political punishment. The strike was motivated by the lack of teachers. According to the DCE, some courses may be closed due to a lack of teachers and staff, such as the Korean Literature, Publishing, Ribeirão Preto Pedagogy and Actor Training courses.

Dean Carlos Gilberto Carlotti confirmed that, between 2014 and 2022, USP lost 879 professors. Students speak of a deficit of more than a thousand teachers. According to the rectory, only the Faculty of Philosophy, Letters and Human Sciences and the School of Arts, Sciences and Humanities (FFLCH) maintain the strike. The other 40 schools and colleges have resumed activities. In addition to students, FFLCH teachers and staff are also on strike. When asked whether the academic community was consulted about the decision to fail due to absences, the rectory reported that everyone was notified.