On the morning of last Friday (March 13th), the official opening of the 2026 Academic Year of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC/Fiocruz) promoted a debate on decoloniality and the political and institutional challenges to building inclusive policies in postgraduate studies.
Integrated into the Institute's Center for Studies, the activity included the participation of the Vice-President of the National Education Ministry, Heleno Araújo. The program marked the beginning of the commemorative actions of the 5th act of Secular Silver Jubilee of IOC.
The meeting was held at the Arthur Neiva Pavilion on the F campus.iocruz in Manguinhos (RJ), with live broadcast by channel IOC on YoutubeThe mediation was handled by the head of the Trypanosomatid Biochemistry Laboratory of IOCEduardo Caio dos Santos.
The opening panel included the Institute's Director of Teaching and Extension, Norma Cristina Brandão; and the Director of Research, Technological Development and Innovation. IOCLuciana Garzoni; the student representative, Fernanda Ramos; and the deputy general coordinator of Education at Fiocruz, Mariana Souza.
In their speeches, they highlighted the institutional commitment to excellence in scientific training and the strengthening of policies aimed at retention, inclusion, and diversity in postgraduate studies, as well as the importance of listening to the academic community and student participation in decision-making spaces.
"The students of IOC "They strengthen research at the Institute. It is essential that we increasingly democratize education so that this knowledge is produced from an exchange of knowledge, and not from imposition," Luciana emphasized.
“The commitment to inclusion and diversity does not end with access to postgraduate studies, but extends to retention, respect for differences, and guaranteeing an academic environment free from any form of violence,” Norma added.
The joint session with the Center for Studies discussed the relationship between social inequalities, educational policies, and scientific production, pointing out that increasing diversity in postgraduate studies depends on structural transformations in the Brazilian educational system.
Heleno Araújo emphasized that these challenges are directly linked to the conditions of basic education in the country. According to him, building a more inclusive scientific system requires confronting historical inequalities that permeate the entire educational process.
"We cannot think about postgraduate studies without thinking about preschool. There is no strong and inclusive postgraduate program without a quality basic education," she stated.
The expert presented data highlighting structural limitations in scientific training in Brazil. In 2022, the country had approximately 11 PhDs and 29 Masters for every 100 inhabitants, a number lower than that observed in countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Furthermore, there is a strong concentration of postgraduate programs in capital cities and large urban centers.
Another point addressed was the role of the National Education Plan (PNE), currently under discussion in the National Congress. Araújo highlighted that the document outlines strategies to expand the training of masters and doctoral students in an equitable manner, focusing on democratizing access and promoting diversity in postgraduate programs.
Among the proposed measures are strengthening academic mobility policies, expanding research funding, encouraging affirmative action, and creating mechanisms to monitor diversity among students and researchers.
According to the speaker, however, the effectiveness of these measures depends on political commitment and the continuity of educational strategies.
“Education needs to be treated as a state policy. It is not possible for each government to want to leave its mark and disregard existing planning. Education requires continuity,” he pointed out.
In moderating the debate, researcher Eduardo Caio emphasized that the discussion on decoloniality involves not only institutional changes, but also cultural transformations within academia. According to him, coloniality manifests itself in different dimensions, including the production of scientific knowledge.
“Decolonization was a political process, but coloniality remains in our society. It is expressed in power relations, knowledge, and inequalities that exclude certain populations from decision-making,” she emphasized.
The session also included questions and comments from faculty, researchers, and students. IOCAmong the topics raised were Eurocentrism in scientific production, structural racism in academia, evaluation criteria for postgraduate programs, and the valorization of knowledge produced by historically marginalized populations.
Participants highlighted that the predominance of European and North American theoretical frameworks and evaluation systems based primarily on international impact metrics can hinder the recognition of research focused on local contexts.
Ways to promote institutional change were also discussed, including affirmative action policies, curriculum revisions, and increased representation in academic decision-making spaces.
At the end of the meeting, Heleno Araújo highlighted that many of the necessary advancements for education are already foreseen in legislation, but are not yet effectively implemented.
"If what we have already achieved in legislation were fully implemented, we would have a very different reality in Brazilian education," he concluded.
On the morning of last Friday (March 13th), the official opening of the 2026 Academic Year of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC/Fiocruz) promoted a debate on decoloniality and the political and institutional challenges to building inclusive policies in postgraduate studies.
Integrated into the Institute's Center for Studies, the activity included the participation of the Vice-President of the National Education Ministry, Heleno Araújo. The program marked the beginning of the commemorative actions of the 5th act of Secular Silver Jubilee of IOC.
The meeting was held at the Arthur Neiva Pavilion on the F campus.iocruz in Manguinhos (RJ), with live broadcast by channel IOC on YoutubeThe mediation was handled by the head of the Trypanosomatid Biochemistry Laboratory of IOCEduardo Caio dos Santos.
The opening panel included the Institute's Director of Teaching and Extension, Norma Cristina Brandão; and the Director of Research, Technological Development and Innovation. IOCLuciana Garzoni; the student representative, Fernanda Ramos; and the deputy general coordinator of Education at Fiocruz, Mariana Souza.
In their speeches, they highlighted the institutional commitment to excellence in scientific training and the strengthening of policies aimed at retention, inclusion, and diversity in postgraduate studies, as well as the importance of listening to the academic community and student participation in decision-making spaces.
"The students of IOC "They strengthen research at the Institute. It is essential that we increasingly democratize education so that this knowledge is produced from an exchange of knowledge, and not from imposition," Luciana emphasized.
“The commitment to inclusion and diversity does not end with access to postgraduate studies, but extends to retention, respect for differences, and guaranteeing an academic environment free from any form of violence,” Norma added.
The joint session with the Center for Studies discussed the relationship between social inequalities, educational policies, and scientific production, pointing out that increasing diversity in postgraduate studies depends on structural transformations in the Brazilian educational system.
Heleno Araújo emphasized that these challenges are directly linked to the conditions of basic education in the country. According to him, building a more inclusive scientific system requires confronting historical inequalities that permeate the entire educational process.
"We cannot think about postgraduate studies without thinking about preschool. There is no strong and inclusive postgraduate program without a quality basic education," she stated.
The expert presented data highlighting structural limitations in scientific training in Brazil. In 2022, the country had approximately 11 PhDs and 29 Masters for every 100 inhabitants, a number lower than that observed in countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Furthermore, there is a strong concentration of postgraduate programs in capital cities and large urban centers.
Another point addressed was the role of the National Education Plan (PNE), currently under discussion in the National Congress. Araújo highlighted that the document outlines strategies to expand the training of masters and doctoral students in an equitable manner, focusing on democratizing access and promoting diversity in postgraduate programs.
Among the proposed measures are strengthening academic mobility policies, expanding research funding, encouraging affirmative action, and creating mechanisms to monitor diversity among students and researchers.
According to the speaker, however, the effectiveness of these measures depends on political commitment and the continuity of educational strategies.
“Education needs to be treated as a state policy. It is not possible for each government to want to leave its mark and disregard existing planning. Education requires continuity,” he pointed out.
In moderating the debate, researcher Eduardo Caio emphasized that the discussion on decoloniality involves not only institutional changes, but also cultural transformations within academia. According to him, coloniality manifests itself in different dimensions, including the production of scientific knowledge.
“Decolonization was a political process, but coloniality remains in our society. It is expressed in power relations, knowledge, and inequalities that exclude certain populations from decision-making,” she emphasized.
The session also included questions and comments from faculty, researchers, and students. IOCAmong the topics raised were Eurocentrism in scientific production, structural racism in academia, evaluation criteria for postgraduate programs, and the valorization of knowledge produced by historically marginalized populations.
Participants highlighted that the predominance of European and North American theoretical frameworks and evaluation systems based primarily on international impact metrics can hinder the recognition of research focused on local contexts.
Ways to promote institutional change were also discussed, including affirmative action policies, curriculum revisions, and increased representation in academic decision-making spaces.
At the end of the meeting, Heleno Araújo highlighted that many of the necessary advancements for education are already foreseen in legislation, but are not yet effectively implemented.
"If what we have already achieved in legislation were fully implemented, we would have a very different reality in Brazilian education," he concluded.
The non-profit reproduction of the text is allowed as long as the source is cited (Comunicação / Instituto Oswaldo Cruz)
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