Movement of Community Prep Courses for University Exams in Rio de Janeiro

I attended the Forum of community prep courses for university exams (pre-vestibular communitatio)in Rio de Janeiro which was held on the 31st of August 2019.

Since 2013, I have been having contact with CCS-RJ, which is a community center for various community organizing project in Vila Isabel. One of their projects is community prep courses for university exams(also for qualification for finishing high school). Only last year I realized there are many courses like this across Rio de Janeiro (and probably in other regions in Brazil). One of my friends explained to me they grew in accordance with the affirmative action implemented during the Lula government.

I was always impressed by how the students who studied there to enter university came back to teach other students in the same course, providing role models for those aspiring to enter universities which is still an elitist institution.

In this forum, the main discussion was about mental health. Many students have a mental health problem or of their own or of a family member. It makes the continuation fo the study difficult. And even after getting into University many find themselves outsiders in the environment which makes it hard to stay in the program.

The discussion was about how the teacher can help the students. The facilitator was a mental health professional but she encouraged everyone to use what they have to help the students. In fact, my friend Luiz, who was a former student in “pre-vestibular comunitatio solidariedade” in Vila Isabel and now teaches there and in other community prep course while studying biology education in University, shared how he uses rap and poetry to create a friendly space in his classroom and he thinks it helped some student with mental health problem.

another participant pointed out that sometimes those community courses are the only place for residents in favelas to talk to their friends safely and that it should be a right to have a place of leisure on in your neighboorhood.

One of the common struggles each course was having was that they are so many students wanting to sign up to the courses but many of them end up discontinuing due to family/job situation. Also after a big exam(namely Rio de Janeiro state university exam), many students feel incompetent and leave the course.

Other also mentioned that the average age of the students is getting younger. I’m not sure if this is due to affirmative action and having visible role models.

There were some students, rather mature in age who attend a community prep course and their teacher said “anyone who studies is young because studying takes a lot of energy.

many felt there should be studies around the community prep but academia doesn’t consider it is important so they should do it themselves. In fact, some attendees were already doing this in their monograph and project for the master program.

The discussion evolved into the struggle for the free pass for students of the community prep. University students already have a free pass for transportation but a new law was introduced to expand it to the students of community course. However, its regulation is still underway meaning the students don’t know when they will get their free pass.  On 31st August organizer of some community, prep went to transportation bureau to inquire the process and they are waiting for the response.

Maria Peralva