Page 80 - Education World November 2022

International News

even on liberal democracy. At the Central Party School in
Beijing, officials “might be discreet in talking to strangers or
in public, but their internal discussion in class is unbound-
ed”, China Daily , a state newspaper, enthused in 2011.
But Charlotte Lee of Berkeley City College, who has writ-
ten a book on the training system, says the schools are now
under greater centralised control, enforced by inspection
teams. What freedom party schools might have enjoyed
“has faded”, she says. President Xi made this clear in a
speech in 2015 at the Central Party School. “On the impor-
tant principle of upholding the party’s leadership, we must
be very clear-headed, bright-eyed and firm in our stance,
and we must not have any ambiguity or wavering,” he said.
Cai Xia, an exiled former teacher of the school, says that
Xi showed “dictatorial” tendencies in 2009 when, as the President-elect Lula: different economic environment
school’s president but not yet the party’s boss, he warned
the faculty against criticising party policies. all levels.”
The same trend is evident at schools that specialise in Bolsonaro has overseen a reduction in funding for Bra-
teaching management skills to bureaucrats. These were zil’s federal universities to levels not seen since 2005, with
set up in the 1980s under Deng Xiaoping, who wanted to the ministry of science, technology and innovation’s budget
establish a professional civil service and (for a while) even cut by more than 50 percent since 2013.
encouraged efforts to create a wider gap between party com- Prof. Davidovich, emeritus professor of physics at the
mittees and the government apparatus. Under Xi, cadres Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, says the cuts have left
have been incessantly reminded that party committees hold universities in a “very bad situation,” struggling to pay for
absolute sway. For delegates prior to commencement of the basic services such as electricity, water and the internet.
congress, the clear message was that Xi Ping’s will counts “Some of them are now negotiating with utility companies
more than anything. to delay payments because they don’t have the money but
don’t want the university to be closed. It is a very tragic
BRAZIL situation,” he adds.
Academia favours Lula by his response to the Covid-19 pandemic — has also served
Bolsonaro’s scepticism for science — shown most clearly
BRAZILIAN ACADEMICS HOPE THAT THE to undermine the scientific community in the eyes of the
country’s upcoming final round of the presidential public, and Prof. Davidovich says he knows scientists sub-
election on October 30 will bring an end to Presi- jected to death threats and having to hire security guards.
dent Jair Bolsonaro’s “war on science”. But most admit that, “It has been a war against science. We have faced some very
even if the populist leader loses, his influence will be slow severe situations in Brazil, and I hope this is a lesson for
to fade. others,” says Davidovich.
All polls ahead of the first round of voting on October Marcelo Knobel, professor of physics and former rec-
2 indicated that the divisive politician, who has led Brazil tor at the University of Campinas, says that constant at-
since 2019, was likely to lose to rival Luiz Inacio Lula da tacks on universities as “nests of communists”, where lots
Silva, the leftist former president — known as Lula — stag- of money is spent with no societal benefit, has left a lasting
ing a comeback after corruption charges against him were impression on Bolsonaro’s supporters that will be hard to
dropped. overturn.
Bolsonaro has indicated that he might contest the result, Lula, a trade unionist who himself has little formal edu-
and there were fears he might try to stage a coup, but sci- cation, oversaw several initiatives to improve quality and
entists who have been subjected to savage funding cuts and access to Brazilian higher education during his last stint
a campaign of intimidation are quietly hopeful that things as president. But he faces a markedly different economic
are about to change. “This is a very important moment in environment this time around if he does win the election.
Brazil, one of the most important elections we have had in “He was lucky as at that time the economy was boom-
years,” says Luiz Davidovich, a former president of the Bra- ing. He had an environment where he could implement his
zilian Academy of Sciences. “Brazil has all the conditions ideas,” says Knobel. “Now, the country is bankrupt. It is in
to become a very powerful economic country, and we need crisis after crisis and is very divided between two forces. It
a government that pays full attention to science, technol- will be a very complicated period,” he warns.
ogy and innovation as the main instruments for developing (Excerpted and adapted from –e Economist and Times
this, and one that is committed to developing education at Higher Education)

80 EDUCATIONWORLD NOVEMBER 2022