Intersante artículo de Simón Schwartzman sobre la profesión académica en Brasil y las diferencias dentro de ella entre quienes laboran en el sector de instituciones públicas y privadas. Está precedido de un análisis –puesto al día– de la principales dinámicas del sistema brasileño de educación superior.
Ver el texto en inglés aquí 1,3 MB
Prólogo
Participei na semana passada de uma reunião organizada em Moscou pela Higher School of Economics, uma das mais prestigiadas universidades russas, de um estudo comparado sobre as condições de trabalho dos professores universtiários em 30 países, apresentando um texto sobre o Brasil que está disponível aqui, e comentários são muito benvindos. Em minha apresentação comentei, entre outras coisas, a situação privilegiada das universidades paulistas, que recebem uma percentagem fixa do orçamento do Estado, e cujos professores são funcionários públicos com estabilidade para a vida. Um dos participantes, dos Estados Unidos, aonde ter uma posição com “tenure” é cada vez mais dificil, comentou que o melhor emprego possível no mundo de hoje para um professor universitário deve ser na USP ou em outra universidade paulista…
Conclusions
This overview of the academic salaries in Brazil shows that there are two main types of higher education institutions in the country, public and private. Public institutions are owned the government and supported with budgetary funds; private institutions may be for profit or not, and depend mostly on tuition fees. Within the public sector, it is possible to distinguish research-intensive institutions from those that are mostly teaching places. There is very little research in private institutions, but it is also possible to distinguish a small number of private, elite institutions, catering to high-income groups, and a large sector of low cost, teaching only institutions, which makes the bulk of higher education in Brazil today.
The salary conditions of teachers working in public and private institutions are very different. Salaries in the public sector are higher, there are more fringe benefits, and lower working load. Most contracts are full-time, but the teachers have also the possibility or earning additional income by participating in research projects, doing consultancy and other activities, even when their work contract is for exclusive
dedication. Teachers in public institutions cannot be fired or move to other institutions, and promotion is mostly by seniority and acquired credentials. Salaries are the same for all federal universities, and for all state university in state, and cannot be negotiated individually. It is very difficult for a non-Brazilian to enter the university career in a public institution, although it is allowed by legislation.
In the private sector, most contracts are part time, income is lower, and teachers have to work in more than one place to make ends meet. In all institutions, there is the assumption that teachers in higher education should do research, but, in practice, most of those in non-research institutions do not get external support for their projects, and are not linked to international research networks.
Compared with other groups with higher education, teachers in public institutions are relatively well off, while teachers in private institution, although earning relatively less, are still above the country’s average income for persons with higher education degrees.