In an order published in the Official Diary of the Union this Thursday (30), the Minister of Education, Milton Ribeiro, announced that he will not require a vaccine against the coronavirus in federal educational institutions.
In an interview with CNN this afternoon, Marcus David, dean of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF) and president of the National Association of Directors of Federal Institutions of Higher Education (Andifes), criticized the decision and declared that the measure imposes conditions and requirements on universities.
“There was no need for this decision. We have federal universities that have already adopted the vaccine passport. We are fully convinced that institutions are prepared to follow all safety and prevention protocols for Covid-19”, he declared.
According to him, his management follows the decisions of a technical and scientific committee created to assist in whatever is necessary to ensure the safety of university students.
“Universities have the autonomy to make this decision as to whether or not they have proof of vaccine. A measure that concerns us at the moment. We are carrying out legal assessments of this in order to understand this decision by the Ministry of Education (MEC)”, said David.
The dean of UFJF also claims that he does not believe in retaliation from the MEC if federal institutions choose to demand a vaccination passport.
Check out the publication by the Minister of Education on the subject:
— Milton Ribeiro (@mribeiroMEC) December 30, 2021
Reactions in federal and state institutions
The orientation of the Ministry of Education for not mandatory vaccination differs from the stance adopted by some state institutions. At the University of São Paulo (USP), an ordinance published in August informed that teachers and civil servants who were not vaccinated would have seven days to immunize themselves before returning to work.
On December 10, the CEPE (Chamber of Teaching, Research and Extension) of Unicamp (State University of Campinas) issued decision CEPE A-21/21, which determined that all undergraduate, graduate, extension and Technical Colleges “are required to complete the vaccination schedule and its due proof before the University to attend on-campus activities”.
On August 26, the Covid-19 committee at Unesp (Universidade Estadual Paulista) decided that all teaching, technical-administrative staff and students with a complete vaccination schedule for Covid-19 “could return to face-to-face activities. Those not vaccinated could face sanctions”.
According to Andifes, an official position is still being decided. The entity, however, stated that “each HEI (Higher Education Institution) within its internal councils took the decisions they judged to be the safest”.
The University of Brasília (UnB) stated that it is evaluating the impact on the institution of the Ministry of Education’s order. The IFB (Federal Institute of Brasília) stated that “it is following its plan for a gradual and safe return to activities”. The IFB also emphasized that “it will await a decision from the Supreme Court on the matter, in view of the legal back and forth generated in other instances and spheres”.
(*With information from André Rigue, Letícia Brito Silva and Giovanna Inoue, from CNN)
Reference: CNN Brasil
