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President Lula Inaugurates New UFF Campus in Campos dos Goytacazes After More Than a Decade of Waiting and Announces New Investments in Education in the State of Rio
The city of Campos dos Goytacazes, in the north of the state of Rio de Janeiro, welcomed on Monday (14) the presence of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for the inauguration of the new campus of the Federal Fluminense University (UFF). The unit, located in the subdistrict of Guarus, marks the resumption of a project initiated back in 2009 and interrupted for more than a decade.
The new UFF campus was built with funding from the Support Program for the Restructuring and Expansion Plans of Federal Universities (Reuni). The works began during Lula’s second term but were halted in 2012 due to lack of funds.
Only in 2020, with the support of parliamentary amendments, the project was resumed. The total investment was R$ 72.4 million, of which R$ 41 million came from the amendments, and the remainder from Reuni.
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During the event, Lula emphasized the importance of investing in education as a pillar for development. “There is no example of a society that has managed to advance and improve its quality of life that hasn’t invested in education,” the president stated.
He also questioned the cost of not investing in essential sectors. “There are some people in the financial sector of this country who say that anything we mention, in health, education, or security, is going to cost too much. The question I ask is: how much does it cost not to do things at the right time in this country?”
New Campus: Complete Structure
The new UFF campus houses more than 40 classrooms, 13 laboratories, a library, an auditorium, research and teaching offices, administrative spaces, and recreational areas.
The undergraduate courses in Economics, Social Sciences, Geography, History, Psychology, and Social Work will now be offered at the unit. Bachelor’s degrees in Social Sciences, Geography, and History will also be available.
Since 2016, students at the Campos campus had been studying in makeshift structures. Classes were held in containers and rented buildings.
Social Sciences student Aline Esteves celebrated the new headquarters. “It has been a long struggle to occupy this space here today. Before, we studied in containers, and now we have this entire structure,” she said.
UFF’s rector, Professor Claudio Lucas da Nóbrega, highlighted the president’s presence as a historic moment. “This is the first time a president of the Republic visits the Federal Fluminense University, which is 65 years old. This presence is not merely symbolic; it is concrete because it transforms into spaces for learning.”
New Campus Will Have Restaurant and Sports Court
During the ceremony, Education Minister Camilo Santana announced that the new campus will have a university restaurant. The establishment of the university restaurant was a demand from the students.
In addition, the construction of a multi-purpose sports court with a cultural stage was authorized. The works will be made possible by the Ministry of Education.
Support for Pre-university Courses and Inclusion
The federal government also announced, still in Campos, the publication of a notice for the offering of popular pre-university courses. The initiative is part of the National Network of Popular Pre-university Courses (CPOP).
The objective is to prepare public school students for the National High School Exam (Enem). According to the Ministry of Education, R$ 99 million will be invested nationwide by 2027.
In addition, new daycare centers and full-time schools were announced in six municipalities in the state of Rio: Comendador Levy Gasparian, Itaperuna, Mendes, Rio das Flores, São Gonçalo, and Volta Redonda.
The government also authorized the opening of 860 places in the National Youth Inclusion Program (Projovem) in the municipalities of Magé, Belford Roxo, Guapimirim, and Volta Redonda.
Works in Schools
Camilo Santana also reported the authorization for 23 works in Basic Education schools in 14 municipalities in the state.
The actions are part of a national package that seeks to resume five thousand stalled works throughout Brazil in the education sector. The federal government’s goal is to restructure the public network by continuing projects that were interrupted.
At the same event, the minister signed the service order for the construction of the new campus of the Federal Fluminense Institute (IFF) in the municipality of Magé. The cost of the work is R$ 14.1 million. Another R$ 10 million is budgeted for the purchase of equipment and furniture for the new unit.
Lula Continues Agenda in Rio
After the agenda in Campos, Lula remains in the state of Rio de Janeiro. On Tuesday (15), he will visit the works on the Presidente Dutra Highway in the Serra das Araras, a region close to the border with São Paulo. The highway is the main link between the two largest metropolitan regions in the country.
The works include building new overpasses, shoulders, and expanding the road to eight lanes, with four for each direction. According to the government, about 390,000 vehicles pass through that section monthly, with more than a third being freight vehicles.
With information from Agência Brasil.
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