“I decided to give my all to that newsroom.” With this conviction, Jeniffer Sthefany, 18 years old, changed the course of her destiny: in January this year, the student won the 7th Writing Competition – A walk with Manuel – from the Manoel de Barros Foundation and won a full scholarship for the course right.
This Sunday, April 28th, Education Day is celebrated. The date, established in 2000 by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), symbolizes the commitment of nations to the development of education by 2030.
In this report, the Midiamax Newspaper brings Jennifer’s story, which shows the transformative power of education.
First in the family to attend college
Jennifer Sthefany Azevedo was the first in her family to enter higher education, opening a new cycle of unlimited expectations. Until she was 15 years old, she lived in the municipality of Coxim, 253 km from Campo Grande. Although she appreciated her hometown, Jennifer recognized that there were few opportunities for professional growth there.
“My parents didn’t go to higher education, and neither did my brothers. Only one sister started her pharmacy degree, but stopped due to the difficulty of distance learning. So, inside my house, I was the first,” she reports.
In search of better job opportunities, his father decided that the whole family would move to Campo Grande. In the new city, she enrolled at EE Padre Mário Blandino, where she found a conducive environment to achieve her goals.
“When I moved to the Capital, I knew I would have more study opportunities than in my city. And that was it, thanks to this change, a lot of effort and resilience in the face of difficulties, I managed to enroll in a wonderful college.”
‘I decided to give my all to that essay’
The opportunity to participate in the ‘A Walk with Manuel’ competition came about at the encouragement of the school itself. At first, the idea was that the essay would just be practice for the Enem (National High School Exam), but Jennifer was determined to change the course of her story.
“I remember that the Manoel de Barros Foundation was at my school to present the competition. My teachers encouraged us to participate, as it would be good training for Enem. However, I decided to give my all to that essay,” he says.
Thus, alongside a classmate, she was among the 40 finalists, then among the ten classified until winning 1st place. The theme of the essay was ‘Challenges for the preservation of the Pantanal biome: local and national responsibility for the search for sustainability’.
“I cried a lot when I won, because first place guaranteed a 100% scholarship at Uniderp. There I saw all my efforts being rewarded. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to afford college. It was an unimaginable joy,” she recalls.
‘Law was definitely not the first option’
Choosing a professional career is a challenging task, even more so when you are 17 years old. Until winning the competition, Jennifer dreamed of studying Biology, but as she learned about each course, a range of possibilities opened up before her.
“Studying Law was definitely not my first option. Due to my limited information about the courses, areas of activity and how they interconnect, my vision was quite limited”, he explains.
After winning the scholarship, Jennifer had the opportunity to talk to the coordinators of several courses offered by Uniderp.
“These conversations opened up a range of unimaginable academic opportunities. After learning about each course and clearing up any doubts I had, I chose to study Law, an area I didn’t imagine choosing, but with each class I am sure of my choice.”
‘I learned to use time to my advantage’
Since entering college, Jennifer has divided herself between work and studies. In the morning, she goes to college and from 2pm to 10pm, she works in a cafe in a shopping mall in the Capital. With a double shift, balancing work and studies became a challenge, but the young woman decided to use the time to her advantage.
“At first it was difficult, the most difficult thing was the time I wasted on the bus going back and forth between the two places. But I learned to use this to my advantage, during exam week, while I was on the bus, I reviewed the classes through the audio I recorded of the class”, he explains.
According to the student, even though she earns minimum wage, the work allows her to achieve some material desires, such as a tablet to help with her studies, but next year her goal is to get an internship.
In the future, Jennifer plans to work in the area of environmental law, but until then, the young woman – who is in her first semester – intends to make the most of each class.
“I am very grateful for what I am experiencing through education. I have many expectations about my future and I see myself achieving them through our universal and powerful tool, which is education. I will enjoy every second during this process.”
Social factors limit access to Higher Education
Mato Grosso do Sul has a net education rate of 22.4%, a measure that indicates the percentage of young people aged 18 to 24 enrolled in higher education in relation to the total population in the same age group. Of the total number of higher education students in the State, 49.3% are up to 24 years old, according to data from the Higher Education Map in Brazil, prepared by Semesp.
The profile of candidates enrolled in Enem, the main gateway to universities, also influences who enters Higher Education.
Data from Inep reveal that, in 2023, the number of white candidates was significantly higher compared to other ethnic-racial groups. Among the candidates, 22,303 identified themselves as white (46.98%), 18,700 as mixed race (39.45%), 3,631 as black (7.66%), 1,245 as indigenous (2.63%) and 1,010 as yellow ( 2.13%). Additionally, 581 candidates did not declare their race.
Number of self-declared black candidates is 38% lower than white ones in MS (Madu Livramento, Midiamax)
Although Mato Grosso do Sul is home to the third largest indigenous population in Brazil, with 116.3 thousand people, according to the IBGE census, the number of self-declared candidates from this ethnicity is the sixth largest among the states, with 1,245 registered indigenous people, which corresponds to 2.36% of the total.
When analyzing the educational level of the candidates, the majority were 3rd year high school graduates, around 17,857 participants, which also reflects the profile of those entering undergraduate courses in the country.
In 2022, more than 900 students completing high school at REE (State Education Network) achieved impressive results in terms of passing higher education, according to information from the SED (State Department of Education).
Quota law democratized access to education
It is worth remembering that, since 2012, the Quota Law establishes that PPI (Black, Brown and Indigenous) candidates can compete for exclusive places in public higher education institutions, as long as they have completed three years of high school in the public network.
The reserved places are divided equally between students with a family income of up to 1.5 minimum wages per person and those with an income above this amount, with specific places for self-declared PPI candidates in each income range. As of 2017, PwDs (People with Disabilities) also began to be included in the vacancies allocated by the Quota Law.
Devaluation of education generates protests in MS
In 2024, Education Day is marked by a turbulent scenario, with strikes by teachers and federal employees, in addition to constant demonstrations for better working conditions in basic education.
On Tuesday (23), professors at UFMS (Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul) decided to launch the strike from May 1st. This decision comes after the Federal Government presented a new salary agreement proposal.
Teachers and federal employees demand salary recovery to correct the gap accumulated since 2017, which represents a loss of approximately 40% in relation to inflation.
In the midst of this, on Wednesday (24) teachers and employees from the Municipal and State Network of Campo Grande and 26 other cities promoted a demonstration in defense and promotion of quality public education.
The demands include the enhancement of the career, readjustment with real gains for education administrators, approval of the PNE (National Education Plan), holding public competitions and compliance with the law that establishes the teaching floor.
According to Gilvano Bronzoni, president of ACP (Campograndense Union of Public Education Professionals), teachers are seeking the implementation of a 6% increase for educators working 20 hours a week in the municipal public network.
“There were negotiations in 2022, but the approved proposal has a 52% difference from the minimum wage.”
