Scholarship recipients from the PIPOU Program received their computers as part of the benefits package offered by the initiative. In the photos: Taís Tupiniquim (left), Weldelson Guajajara (center), and Jhenifer Tupiniquim (right), at the time of the equipment delivery.
Another step in the implementation of the Indigenous Program for Student Retention and Opportunities at the University (PIPOU) was completed last week, between November 22nd and 26th, 2021, with the delivery of computers to the 50 scholarship recipients selected by the initiative. The computers are part of the incentive package that the PIPOU Program is offering to the selected students. First call for applications closed in September 2021.In addition to the computer, the program includes a scholarship of one thousand reais per month and mentoring for the students. The first installment of the scholarship has already been paid to the university students.
The PIPOU Program, a result of the partnership between ISPN and Vale, aims to strengthen initiatives focused on the retention of indigenous students in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Brazil, promoting support and incentives to mitigate the various difficulties faced in academia, such as: Lack of financial resources, absence of support, pedagogical challenges in studying the subjects, among other issues. The first PIPOU call for proposals specifically targeted indigenous students from peoples with whom Vale already maintains a relationship: Gavião (Mãe Maria Indigenous Territory, in Pará); Guajajara (Rio Pindaré and Caru Indigenous Territories, in Maranhão); Tupiniquim and Guarani (Tupiniquim Guarani Indigenous Territory, in Espírito Santo); and Krenak (Krenak Indigenous Territory, in Minas Gerais).
In the Rio Pindaré (MA) Indigenous Territory, the computers were delivered on November 26, 2021. On that occasion, Professor Flauberth Guajajara, who also monitors the academic life of the university students, emphasized that they need to maintain their dedication to their studies. "I know you are excited to receive the computers, but you need to make all this worthwhile by dedicating yourself fully to your courses." The issue raised by the professor refers to the students' commitment to the PIPOU Program in maintaining good academic performance.
If computers were already important before, with the pandemic and remote classes, this equipment has become essential. This issue is mentioned by Taís Cruz dos Santos, from the Tupiniquim people, who is studying medicine at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). “The pandemic led to all classes, assignments, and other academic activities being moved to remote learning. And this scenario will last for a while longer, so having access to quality tools, like a computer, greatly facilitates our academic journey, which is full of obstacles. With the scholarship and the computer, we have fewer worries, so we can concentrate even more on our studies,” she emphasizes.
Another scholarship recipient from the Tupiniquim people is Jhenifer Benedito de Oliveira Pêgo, who studies Public Health at the University of Brasília (UnB). The student also confirms that, after the pandemic, the computer became an essential tool for continuing her studies. “Computers became absurdly expensive during this pandemic period, and we cannot afford to buy them. Although some universities have projects to acquire the equipment, now with prices three times higher, it's impossible even for these institutions,” says the student. Jhenifer also believes that, in addition to the computer, the PIPOU scholarship will greatly contribute to the retention of Indigenous students in universities. “Especially because we are in a period of cuts in financial and socioeconomic aid for students who arrive through affirmative action policies,” she reports.
Weldelson Coelho, a student of Social Sciences at the State University of Maranhão and a member of the Guajajara people, also agrees that both the computer and the scholarship are essential resources in the academic life of indigenous people. “Especially in the current political context where we see the exclusion and dismantling of all existing public policies offering scholarships to students from public schools. This scholarship and this computer arrived at a very opportune moment,” says the student.
Juliana Coutinho Cabidelli, from the Tupiniquim people, a medical student at the University of Brasília (UnB), reaffirms her satisfaction at being one of the scholarship recipients of the PIPOU Program. “For us indigenous students, who have very difficult paths in university, it is wonderful to be part of this project and to be able to enjoy what is being offered to us,” stated the future doctor.
Far beyond the computer and the stock market.
Another important component of the PIPOU Program is the academic guidance provided by university professors and specialists in the areas of study of the scholarship recipients. This support will take place during the execution of the intervention projects that these students will carry out in their communities as part of the PIPOU Program.
The first orientation meetings took place on November 23rd and 25th, 2021, and provided an initial dialogue between students with projects in the health field and professors Graça Hoefel and Denise Severo from the Department of Collective Health at UnB and the Indigenous Health Clinic (ASI/HUB). During the meetings, the students presented their project ideas, and the professors offered points for reflection and suggestions. Kayta Ayala Simões Valdenilson, from the Gavião people, a student in the Collective Health course at the Federal University of Southern and Southeastern Pará (UNIFESSPA), believes that the PIPOU program has brought a range of opportunities that will contribute to the development of their projects in their villages. "These projects will help us pass on to our villages what we have learned in universities, showing our elders how the world of..." Cup ('whites'), it works,” says Kayta.
In addition to supporting and mentoring students, the PIPOU Program also aims to broaden the discussion about the importance of affirmative action in universities that do not yet have these policies in their plans, by promoting debates among higher education institutions.
Related News
The PIPOU scholarship program announces the list of recipients in the selection process.