Reflection on Affirmative Action Policy in Higher Education by Rubia Valente - 04/08/22

It has been 10 years since the Brazilian Supreme Court deemed affirmative action constitutional and necessary. On August 29, 2012, President Dilma Rousseff signed Law 12.711/2012 reserving 50% of the slots in federal universities for students from public high schools. Within this quota, slots were allocated to low-income students and to Black, Brown, and Indigenous students. As Justice Joaquim Barbosa stated at the time, “these measures aim to fight not only flagrant manifestations of discrimination, but de facto discrimination, that is so absolutely rooted in our society, so well rooted, that (most) people do not perceive it.” At the time, it seemed like the country that had promoted the myth of racial democracy for decades was finally moving in the right direction towards equality.

Unfortunately, that optimism was short-lived with the election of President Jair Bolsonaro and his vice president Hamilton Mourão in 2018. Both politicians publicly espouse racist views while at the same time denying the existence of racism in Brazilian society. The current administration makes no attempt to hide their contempt for policies enacted to improve equity and inclusion. In fact, since taking office, they significantly reduced spending on policies designed to fight racism in Brazil. While the previous administration’s spending on affirmative action initiatives was on average R$37.2 million reais per year, the current administration only invested R$2.7 million reais in 2020, a significant reduction that clearly shows Bolsonaro’s administrations priorities.

Although racist comments made by the executive branch abound, the attack and campaign against affirmative action policies and quota students is of particular concern. When asked about affirmative action policies, Bolsonaro stated that he does not see justice in racial quotas, and that admission to universities must be by “merit.” On the campaign trail, he stated that, if elected president, he would reduce the percentage of university quotas reserved for Black students. He went on to say, “What debt? I never enslaved anyone in my life. (…) Blacks are not better than me, and I am not better than Blacks. In the military academy many Blacks graduated with me. Some below and some above my ranking, without any problem. Why quotas?”

Here is why: research shows empirically that race is a factor that superposes the effect of class in entrance exams such as the Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio (ENEM) and traditional vestibulares, being therefore an important determinant of admission to institutions of higher education. An anomaly of the Brazilian educational system is that while prestigious institutions at the primary and secondary levels are in the private sector, the situation is reversed at the university level. As a result, prior to the implementation of affirmative action policies, admission to public university was a rigorous process that excluded poor students who could not afford to pay for a private high school education. Since nonwhite Brazilians are disproportionally located at the bottom of the social economic ladder, this system hindered their ability to get into tuition-free public universities. That reality in turn affected their social status, resulting in an intergenerational cycle of socio-economic stagnancy, perpetuating the inequality cycle in Brazil.

Prior to the adoption of affirmative action policies in 2012, only 35.8% of college students nationwide were nonwhite (IBGE 2010). Many of the current social problems in Brazil stem from the large education gap between different racial groups. This is problematic because education, particularly higher education, is the most effective tool for social mobility. By 2018, 50.3% of students in public universities comprised of nonwhite students largely due to affirmative action policies (IBGE 2018). Although an optimistic indicator, it will take generations before the true democratizing effects of affirmative action is evident in Brazilian society.

The vast majority of quota students are the first in their families to attend university. Instead of praising their resilience and providing resources for their educational success, President Bolsonaro disdains and attacks these students with taunts such as, “I would not get on a plane piloted by a quota pilot or be operated on by a quota doctor.” This stems from the myth that “quota students” perform academically worse than traditionally admitted students, and therefore would not be competent in their professions. This fallacy is widely propagated without any foundation or empirical evidence. In fact, research shows that in public university, students finish their degrees at comparable academic performance regardless of manner of admission, and in private universities students admitted through quotas actually perform academically better than non-quota students at the conclusion of their degrees.

Thus, what empirical evidence shows is that affirmative action policies have been an effective mechanism for democratizing access to higher education without compromising quality of education—once given the opportunity to attend college, quota students excel in their academic endeavors. Given the continuing debate over affirmative action programs in Brazil, and the re-evaluation of Law 12.711 this year, it is important to underscore that empirical research provide strong support for the effectiveness of affirmative action policies, particularly those that combine social and racial considerations, in making Brazil a more equitable country.

Affirmative action, along with other social issues will be on the ballot this year. If re-elected, Bolsonaro’s administration will continue to carry out policies that aim to undermine the progress made by affirmative action policies in the last decade. If Brazil is to become a more equitable and just country, it should elect a president who is committed to supporting affirmative action policies in public universities.

Rubia Valente is Assistant Professor at the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs at Baruch College, City University of New York, and WBO Research Fellow.

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