Emancipa Malês Project – popular course visits schools and communities in the region of Recôncavo Baiano

2023-04-20 14:52:36

the extension project Rede Emancipa Malês – popular course has been active in April in publicizing the Enem process, the fee exemption for this Exam for specific groups – which runs until the 28/04th -, on the free preparatory course for the Enem offered by the Network, in addition to the courses offered through the Malês campus. This action has been carried out in public schools and rural and quilombola communities, by a group of students, teachers and administrative technicians in education on the Malês campus, in the municipalities of São Francisco do Conde, Candeias, Santo Amaro, Saubara and Madre de Deus .

This disclosure is intended to contribute to the democratization of access to higher education, through clarifications that Unilab/Campus of Malês is open and belongs to the communities, to the territory of the region, and can be accessed by all audiences. The target public of this visit initiative are high school students from public schools, as well as members and leaders of quilombola communities, in addition to people who abandoned the dream of entering higher education due to financial and survival difficulties. For this public, information is also taken about the possibilities not only of access, but also of staying at the university, through policies that offer scholarships to students.

“It is always our concern that Unilab become known in the territory because, incredible as it may seem, many students do not recognize our university as public and federal”, explains the project coordinator, Sabrina Balsalobre, professor of the Languages ​​– Portuguese Language course from Unilab / Malês campus. She points out that, as a result of these visits, more than 170 people have already signed up for the popular course at Rede Emancipa Malês, which offers classes mainly in the field of Human Sciences. For this year, the coordinator explains that a partnership was made with the Federal University of Bahia (Ufba), so that classes were offered in the Exact Sciences areas as well. In addition to this partnership, the Rede Emancipa Malêsin 2023, undergoes a consolidation process, with the approval of the project linked to the Institute of Humanities and Letters (IHL), on the Malês campus.

Rede Emancipa
A Rede Emancipa is a popular education movement that exists in several municipalities and communities throughout Brazil, which operates with popular courses, in addition to other focuses such as welcoming refugees and Youth and Adult Education. The Network is also present in Angola and Cape Verde. And, through Unilab, the process of training the Rede Emancipa in Guinea-Bissau has also started. “It was an organic movement, from the students, themselves organizing the Rede Emancipa Guinea-Bissau. Based on the contacts of Guinean students in their country, they were able to take the popular course to countless cities in Guinea”, reports teacher Sabrina Balsalobre.

The classes in the preparatory course, in addition to serving as preparation for the Enem, also help in the admission of African students to Unilab, who need to take tests through the Selection Process for International Students. Classes take place on Saturdays, in synchronous and asynchronous format, and have active participation of students from the Malês campus as tutors. “The extension of the course also allows Unilab students to have the first contact with teaching, organize and manage the educational process. So, the prep course allows our students to become teachers for the first time and also provides better conditions for students who apply for a place to enter the university”, contextualizes the teacher.

Internationalization and Open Doors Unilab

From from the Emancipa Malês Network, a new extension project, coordinated by the professor of International Relations Daniel De Lucca, was proposed with the aim of internationalizing the project. The idea is to expand this experience to Cape Verde, from Unilab and with the support of Unilab students.

In the territory of São Francisco do Conde and region, the project Rede Emancipa Malês also carries out the “Unilab de Portas Abertas” action, which takes place through visits by high school students in loco to Unilab/Campus of Malês, to dialogue with Unilab students, learn about the courses, services and structure offered, and also the guidelines that govern the university, such as integration between peoples, internalization and internationalization of higher education.

Photo credit at schools: Sabrina Balsalobre and Joaquim Gaspar