MEC WILL PROHIBIT GRADUATE GRADUATES

The Department of Higher Education (Sesu) wants to prohibit students with higher degrees, originating from sequential courses (which do not train for a profession, but for a function), from attending the lato sensu post-graduation (specialization). Sesu informed that it is preparing the document that will be evaluated by the National Education Council (CNE) in April. For the organization, it is unacceptable for universities to offer postgraduate studies to university students who have not yet graduated. “Only graduates from undergraduate courses who have a proven degree can take a lato sensu postgraduate course,” said Paulo Wollinger, Sesu's director of Regulation and Supervision. The decision was taken after Jornal da Tarde published, on Sunday, a report showing that private universities in the capital provide intermediate certifications, during regular courses, which have no value in the job market. With a higher degree - one of the certificates issued -, institutions offer students the chance to pursue a postgraduate degree before completing a regular graduation of 4 or 5 years on average.

Although there was no permission, there were also no rules to prevent this practice. Resolution No. 1, of June 8, 2007, of the CNE, establishes that “the lato sensu postgraduate courses are open to candidates graduated in undergraduate courses or other higher courses”. For Wollinger, the text opened a loophole that served for "some universities to provide a faster financial return". The Ministry of Education (MEC) considers bachelor's, licentiate's and technologist's higher undergraduate courses. “The sequential course proves the capacity for occupation (of a function) and not for professionalization”, continues Wollinger. “(The certificate) It shows that the person is a little more qualified and not graduated to exercise the profession”, says the director.

The sequential courses are of specific training, whose learning is restricted to a knowledge specialty and not to the set of knowledge and skills necessary to exercise a professional activity. The MEC, however, is not against issuing certificates during regular courses, unlike regional class councils, such as lawyers, nurses and physiotherapists, heard by JT in the article published the day before yesterday. "The MEC has nothing against it", says the director of Regulation and Supervision at Sesu. According to him, higher education institutions can provide a document proving that the student has received a set of information that enables him to exercise a certain function in the labor market or even eliminate credits in case of course change.


Isis Brum