Representatives of the three public universities in São Paulo – Unicamp, USP (University of São Paulo) and Unesp (Universidade Estadual Paulista) – signed, last Monday (10), at Palácio dos Bandeirantes, in the city of São Paulo, a protocol of intentions with the state government to join the Vestibular Paulista Sedo, called Provão Paulista. The document was signed by the rectors Pasqual Barreti, from Unesp – who is also the current president of the Council of Rectors of São Paulo State Universities (Cruesp) –, Antonio José de Almeida Meirelles, from Unicamp, and Carlos Carlotti, from USP.
The new access modality will create an exclusive gateway to these universities for students from the state education network. Together, the three should offer around 2.800 places for entry in 2024. In total, the new system should open around 13 thousand places in higher education courses at USP, Unicamp and Unesp, in addition to the Virtual University of the State of São Paulo (Univesp) and the Faculty of Technology (Fatecs) of the Paula Souza Center.
The partnership between the three universities and the Department of Education of the State of São Paulo, which created Provão Paulista, provides for aid to be paid by the agency for students in situations of socioeconomic vulnerability. According to the secretariat, this would be a way to mitigate the risks of dropping out or dropping out during the university course. The state program should also include offering scholarships to students in their final year of undergraduate courses at state universities in São Paulo to complete internships at schools in the state education network.
The dean of Unicamp highlighted some important aspects of this initiative. Meirelles recalled that it is a selection process that can reach 440 thousand students at the end of high school and technical education in the State, allowing the best students in the public education system access to state universities. For the rector, the direct participation of the state government and the Department of Education in helping students stay at universities, via scholarships, is also important. He also assesses that the measure will allow for an improvement in public secondary education in the State.
“I think [this agreement] is positive, as it increases our connection with the São Paulo community, immensely expands the participation of public school students in our selection process, helps vulnerable students stay at state universities and expands the potential effect of public universities in improving public education in São Paulo”, he summarized. Meirelles recalled that the details of the protocol of intentions are being negotiated and will have to be approved by Unicamp bodies in the near future.
Cruesp
For Barreti, joining the program is aligned with both the university mission and the country's educational situation, which is facing challenges in reducing high school dropouts and encouraging young people to enter higher education. “The project that the universities designed, with the pro-rectors and the Department of Education, is quite complete. It provides for access, permanence and integration of our degrees with secondary education. Today, we are celebrating a very important moment, a structuring project that we haven’t had in education for a long time,” he added.
The test must be administered without fees or student travel. The new assessment method debuts in November this year, with multiple choice and essay questions. In this first year of implementation, for the purposes of entering higher education in 2024, only the performance of students in the final year of public high school should be considered. However, the scope of the exam will be gradually expanded to cover all those enrolled in this phase of the educational process. The serial entrance exam will consider the student's performance year by year. Admission to higher education will be granted to those with the best weighted average.
“We are talking about 13 thousand vacancies that will be filled by students from our public network through Provão Paulista. This would not be possible if we did not have the collaboration of our deans. We are taking a big step, which will be transformative for many students”, said governor Tarcísio de Freitas.
“We are not just giving access to higher education, but rather, access to the best universities in the country. São Paulo education is proud to lead this process of inclusion”, stated the Secretary of Education, Renato Feder.
“This is a moment of joy. We are achieving effective inclusion, ensuring the integration of activities, the synergy of two departments, four universities and the Paula Souza Center. It is a motivating initiative that will certainly reduce dropouts in high school and improve student interest in continuing to study year after year”, said the Secretary of Science, Technology and Innovation, Vahan Agopyan.
According to the body, the assessment will follow the Vestibular model, with in-person application supervised in state schools, on a single date. All high school students from the state network, including those from Etecs (State Technical Schools), will be able to participate. For admission in 2025, access to places at universities will be obtained based on the grade accumulated by students in the 2023 and 2024 editions of Provão Paulista, covering the final two years of high school. For entry from 2026 onwards, the results of the tests administered throughout the three years of secondary education will be considered.
The ceremony at Palácio dos Bandeirantes was also attended by the chief secretary of the Civil House, Arthur Lima, the secretary of Government and Institutional Relations, Gilberto Kassab, the secretary of Communication, Lais Vita, the superintendent of the Paula Souza Center, Laura Laganá , and the president of Univesp, Marcos Borges.