The Student Support Service (SAE) from Unicamp concluded the 2019 scholarship selection process last week, with an increase in resources and the number of students benefiting. According to Helena Altmann, coordinator of SAE, the objective is to support students' permanence at the University. “The number of students with a per capita family income of up to one and a half minimum wages at Unicamp has increased due to new forms of entry and democratization of access to the university. The budget increase for benefits has sought to serve this new population arriving at the University,” she stated.
The total budgetary resources for assistance with student permanence increased by 22% between 2017 and 2019, from R$69.539 million to R$84.773 million, allocated to scholarship programs, food subsidies, student housing, medical and dental care, among others ( check table below). The budget increase was reflected in the 41% increase in the number of Social Assistance Grants (BAS) offered, totaling 1.930 grants available in 2019.
In addition to the increase in resources, changes in management have had an impact on the number of students served, as pointed out by the SAE coordinator. “Since 2017, optimizing the use of the resource has ensured that a greater number of students are covered, because, as the scholarship is valid for one year and is not always used full-time, it is possible to calculate the excess resource and replace it. about the format of new bags”, he explained. In this way, in 2018, more than 2 thousand students were able to be served.
Helena Altmann also drew attention to the increase in the classification index of students served, from 637 to 780, compared to the same period last year. The index measures the vulnerability of students, with zero being the most vulnerable and 1.250 being the maximum rating. Among the factors that impact this evolution, Altmann pointed out the consideration of academic criteria for granting benefits, provided for in the university's current regulations (Deliberation CEPE A-003-2012). “With this, the scholarships now serve students who are actually involved with academic life, with training, with the prospect of completing the course within the deadline”, she pointed out (Read more).
In order to stimulate students' academic dedication, the hours dedicated to activities required by BAS Scholarships were reduced from 15 to 10 hours per week. With the same objective, the evaluation criteria for social scholarship projects accepted by the program were also improved and the Congress of Projects to Support the Permanence of Undergraduate Students at Unicamp (Pape-G) was created, in which the work developed can be publicized and published. This year the event will take place on October 21st.
