2023-11-14 16:26:35
On October 3, with its closure approved in different courses, the largest student strike ever recorded at the University of São Paulo (USP) came to an end.
By: Mandi Coelho, from Rebeldia, Youth of the Socialist Revolution
This was the first major process of struggle of an entire generation, which also demonstrated an important change in the social profile of university students. As a result of the implementation of quotas, in 2017, majors with a history of elitism, such as Engineering, Medicine and Law, entered the scene and made this, in terms of course adhesion, the largest strike in the history of USP.
Taking achievements
The strike wrested gains from the Rector’s Office, in a scenario of privatizations and attacks on students, workers and oppressed sectors. The demands that led to the strike had to do with the hiring of teachers and student retention policies (such as scholarships and aid for housing, food, transportation, etc.).
In relation to the lack of teachers, the most serious situations were concentrated in Literature, in the School of Arts, Sciences and Humanities (EACH or USP/Zona Leste) and in the School of Communications and Arts (ECA), the units that were spearhead of the strike. The issue of student permanence was widespread and, therefore, was what made the unification of the movement possible.
The students started from the Rector’s Office the replacement of all teaching retirements from 2014 to 2022, which will occur within a period of 45 days. An achievement, given the hiring policy adopted by the university administration.
In addition, we also achieved the return of the socioeconomic criteria for a specific research scholarship, the creation of a committee to debate the indigenous entrance exam, meals [bandejas] of the weekends that do not yet offer them, the construction of a daycare, the reconsideration of scholarship applications that were denied, in addition to the beginning of the discussion on the implementation of trans quotas.
Continue organizing the fight at USP and outside of it
We need to remain organized and mobilized to achieve more gains and defeat USP’s privatization plans. For example, it is still necessary to defeat the “Edital of Merit”, a measure that aims to make new hires not for the courses that need it most, but for those that best serve as a “showcase” of USP for the market and sectors. private.
Furthermore, it is necessary to remember that the important achievement of having gotten more food on the trays [bandejas] It was not accompanied by new hires, which will mean overloading for employees and privatization.
But the kick-off was given. And with an important political impact: the learning of thousands of students, who are now, certainly, in better conditions to wage higher struggles.
It is also important to continue defending unity with the university workers. Just as we gained strength in the strike with the entry into the scene of several courses, we also became stronger by building unity with all categories of the university.
New challenges: unifying the struggles against Tarcísio’s privatizations and Lula’s attacks
If today the USP already suffers from the threat of privatization, which is being carried out little by little and within the institution itself, plans for the privatization of public services in the State are also advancing in several sectors.
Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans), Bolsonaro governor of São Paulo, is trying to privatize segurasp (water and sewage) as a matter of urgency, and aims to make concessions and privatizations in the Metro and CPTM (trains).
In addition, we are suffering from the neoliberal attacks that come from Lula and the federal government, such as the New Secondary Education, the Fiscal Framework, the cut of funds in the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Capes) scholarships or the allocation of funds from the Ministry of Education for the foundations of billionaire Jorge Lemann.
The strike was marked by the holding of the Popular Plebiscite against privatizations. In São Paulo, a new round of unified struggle is planned for the 28th. That day also needs to be marked by student struggles.
Analysis: a balance of the student movement at USP
The strike began with an explosion of revolt, which occurred despite the fact that the Central Student Directorate (DCE), made up of groups such as Juntos, Correnteza and the Union of Communist Youth (UJC), did not prepare the students to fight.
This took its toll and we had a less firm strike than it could and should have been. The students were very willing to fight, but, because they were unprepared, the force dissipated as quickly as it exploded.
Furthermore, the DCE had a wrong policy at various times during the strike, trying to end it prematurely, overestimating what had been achieved and disarming the students to move forward.
This position gave space to sectors that, irresponsibly, defended the “infinite strike” and similar positions that, by not being based on an objective analysis of the correlation of forces to give continuity to the movement, ended up generating demoralization and frustration among students.
In the face of all this, students need to draw conclusions about what the strike was about, both in terms of their own learning and the role that political organizations played.
Rebeldia is preparing to participate in several elections in the Academic Centers and we are also developing a program on USP in its most different aspects. We call on all interested parties to help us in this process and come to build a new direction for the student movement, joining our collective.
Article published in www.opiniaosocialista.com.br8/11/2023.-
Translation: Natalia Estrada.
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