El papel de las universidades en lucha contra la pandemia ; The role of universities in confronting the pandemic ; O papel das universidades no enfrentamento da pandemia

Brazilian universities face three interrelated crises. The first is the result of neoliberal policies that have led to deep budget cuts in education, science and technology. The second is that of the pandemic itself, which has already taken the lives of more than 600,000 Brazilians. Universities work to protect the life of their community and society. In the system of public universities, extension activities are carried out with the communities, especially testing for the detection of population infection, production of protective equipment, basic and applied research, including the development of vaccines, as well as the central role of University Hospitals in the treatment of patients. The third crisis is the result of the extreme right-wing, authoritarian and denialist movement that has its preferential target in public universities. However, universities are strengthened with the population, due to the recognition of their role in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. Teaching activities are carried out remotely, but they face the challenge of the difficulty of access to a large part of their community. Digital inclusion needs to be considered as a right of the university population and a duty of the State both during the pandemic and in the post-pandemic. ; Las universidades brasileñas hacen frente a tres crisis interrelacionadas. La primera es el resultado de las políticas neoliberales que han llevado a recortes presupuestarios profundos en educación, ciencia y tecnología. La segunda es la de la propia pandemia, que ya se ha cobrado la vida de más de 600 mil brasileños. Las universidades trabajan para proteger la vida de su comunidad y de la sociedad en general. El sistema de universidades públicas lleva a cabo actividades de extensión en la comunidad universitaria, especialmente pruebas para la detección de infección, fabricación de equipos de protección, investigación básica y aplicada, incluyendo el desarrollo de vacunas, sin olvidar el papel esencial de los Hospitales Universitarios en el ...