Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
5 min of reading 
27 comments 
UFPE Program for Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Creates Special Medicine Class Without ENEM, Reigniting Debate on Equality, Inclusion, and University Autonomy After Judicial Decisions and Reactions from Medical Entities.
The Federal University of Pernambuco maintained a specific selection process for a special Medicine class with 80 vacancies at the Academic Center of Agreste, in Caruaru.
The selection is aimed at beneficiaries of the National Education Program in Agrarian Reform (Pronera) and does not use ENEM or Sisu, following a decision by Judge Fernando Braga Damasceno of the TRF-5, who authorized the continuation of the announcement in October.
According to the Poder 360 portal, the measure has triggered reactions from medical entities and opposition figures, reigniting the debate about equality, university autonomy, and affirmative actions in higher education.
-
Without radar, without fines, and without physical barriers: a red road in India uses smart asphalt with different colors and textures to reduce vehicle speed and protect wildlife in a natural and efficient way.
-
Thousands of small fish were caught climbing a 15-meter vertical waterfall in the Congo using microscopic hooks on their fins in a nearly 10-hour journey that defies gravity.
-
Archaeologists found in the Tyrrhenian Sea, a few kilometers from Rome, a submerged Roman structure about 50 meters long, with concentric walls, noble floors, and signs of an elite villa preserved under the waters.
-
BBC announces largest staff cut in 15 years with 2,000 layoffs to save 3.2 billion reais while facing a 10 billion dollar lawsuit filed by Donald Trump in the United States.
The announcement, published on September 10, 2025, anticipates enrollment still in 2025.2 and was conceived as an additional class, in cooperation with Incra, without removing vacancies from other modalities.
The target audience includes settlers and campers linked to the National Agrarian Reform Plan, quilombolas, rural educators, former Incra program participants, and beneficiaries of Land Credit, among other profiles defined by the Decree 7.352/2010.
The initiative was presented by the government as a policy for inclusion of historically excluded rural populations.
How the Selection Works Without ENEM
The process has two stages. In the first, UFPE verifies whether the candidate belongs to Pronera’s target audience.
In the second, a two-pronged assessment is applied: analysis of high school history and a in-person essay, conducted on the Agreste campus.
The scores of Portuguese Language, Biology, and Chemistry throughout the three years of high school are combined with the essay score.
The announcement states that the history has a weight of 4 and the essay weight of 6 in the final score, with elimination for those who score less than 5.0 in the essay.
There is also a reservation of at least 50% of the vacancies for graduates from public schools and quota modalities provided by law.
In addition to being linked to Pronera, candidates must prove completion of high school before applying and meet the deadlines of the schedule.
The final result and the start of classes are scheduled for the second half of October, according to the institutional calendar.
What Justice Has Decided So Far
On October 1, the Federal Court in Pernambuco suspended the Announcement 31/2025 after a popular lawsuit from City Councilor Tadeu Calheiros.
In the following week, the TRF-5 overturned the injunction, recognizing the legal plausibility of the arrangement and the university autonomy.
The Federal Attorney General reported having also overturned a second injunction that blocked the selection, allowing the continuation of the process.
The Federal Public Ministry defended the constitutionality of the additional class, stating that supplementary affirmative actions can be adopted by universities, according to the Supreme Court’s jurisprudence.
Meanwhile, the topic reached the Legislative branch.
In the Senate, Senator Eduardo Girão (Novo-CE) presented a request to the MEC asking for data on the legal basis, costs, and verification of candidates’ links.
The Transparency Committee approved an invitation to the UFPE rector and summoned the Minister of Education to clarify the case.
These movements keep the topic on the agenda in Congress.
What UFPE, Government, and Rural Movements Are Saying
UFPE and federal agencies assert that the proposal integrates an educational policy directed at the reality of the countryside, focusing on attracting and training professionals for rural and quilombola territories.
The announcement is based on rules regulating Pronera since 1998 and on recent ordinances from MDA/Incra, as well as the LDB and the constitutional principle of university autonomy.
The government emphasizes that these are not “exclusive MST” vacancies, but rather a selection restricted to the beneficiary public of Pronera, which includes various groups from the countryside.
Participation requires documentary proof and approval in the process.
According to the AGU, the class is additional and financed under Pronera, with no negative impact on regular vacancies and aimed at reducing access inequalities and retaining professionals in areas with a healthcare deficit.
From the perspective of the MPF, preventing the selection would cause administrative and social harm, in addition to contradicting established understandings about affirmative actions in higher education.
Criticism from Medical Entities and the Opposition
Medical councils and associations in Pernambuco, including Cremepe, unions, and the local academic community, as well as opposition parliamentarians, argue that the model contradicts principles of equality and impersonality.
They believe that the program creates a “shortcut” to the degree in Medicine and may affect the credibility of the profession.
Concerns are also raised regarding the quality of the selection without broad competition via ENEM.
The public targeting is seen as politicized by opponents of the government.
The controversy has gained traction on social media with labels like “Medicine without a test,” despite the announcement providing for in-person essay and assessment of history.
UFPE and defenders of the initiative argue that the essay and history are valid assessment tools, that academic filters remain, and that ENEM does not always reach those living in contexts of high educational vulnerability in rural areas.
They maintain that the territorial and social nature of Pronera justifies a specific selection model in partnership with public universities.
What Is at Stake in the Dispute
At the heart of the discussion are three main axes.
The first is legal, involving the compatibility of specific affirmative actions with constitutional principles and university autonomy.
The second is educational and health-related, with effects on the profile of incoming students, the quality of training, and the retention of physicians in rural areas.
The third is budgetary and governance-related, as it requires transparency about sources of funding, impacts on the university’s finances, and responsibilities of Incra and MDA.
Official responses to legislative requests and any additional decisions from higher instances may reorder the debate.
While the selection proceeds with the support of TRF-5, the case remains surrounded by political and corporate pressures.
The outcome and the potential consolidation of similar models in other institutions will depend on the legal stability of the arrangement and public evaluation of merit, equity, and concrete results in the training and distribution of healthcare professionals.
Absurdo!!! Isso não é equidade. O estado deve investir na qualidade da educação brasileira, garantir a todos a educação que a rede privada proporciona.
Eu tenho 22 anos e estou tentando conseguir uma vaga de medicina há mais de 3 anos. Tive um ensino médio muito ruim por conta da pandemia, mas também por “mérito” meu. Creio que esse ano eu irei conseguir uma vaga, no mínimo, pelo ProUni em alguma faculdade de Recife ou Jaboatão (Cidades de Pernambuco). Muitas figuras políticas podem defender esse tipo de inclusão dos indivíduos do MST como uma justiça social, dizendo que são indivíduos pobres que terão, agora, a oportunidade que um filho de pais ricos teriam. Mas no final, tudo isso é uma anomalia travestida de “inclusão”. A injustiça social impera. Os defensores de pautas de inclusão se provam, mais uma vez, hipócritas em seu próprio discurso. O intuito aqui não é mais facilitar a entrada dos mais pobres, mas sim aumentar a “patota” de indivíduos que estarão a favor dessas pautas podres. Se no final queriam ajudar os indivíduos do MST a conseguirem uma vaga de medicina, por que não financiar, com o valor que será custeado com as 80 vagas fornecidas durante os 7 anos (um ano a mais do que o habitual), a preparação dos integrantes desse movimento para prestarem o vestibular e conseguirem as vagas (sendo ou não sendo por cotas)?
O interessante vai ser ver QUEM ficará com essas vagas… indicacoes, favorecimentos…quero ver o filho do mais pobre deles conseguir uma vaga, sabendo como eles agem…e outra: alguem está achando mesmo que esses “camponeses” vão voltar e ficar trabalhando como “médicos” nesses assentamentos?…. nao vai ficar um sequer…. “partiu consultorio privado”