University of São Paulo: Public schools, teachers and students are awarded in the USP Knowledge Competition
The award ceremony for the fourth edition of the USP Knowledge Competition (CUCo) was held this morning, May 14, a competition created exclusively for high school students from the public school system in the state of São Paulo, with the purpose of to encourage them to improve their performance and join USP’s undergraduate courses.
“CUCo is a way to present high school students with the possibilities that exist through teaching. It is a way of stimulating these young people who will be great scientists, great professionals who will contribute to the development of our country. If we want to change the tragic situation in which education is found in Brazil, we all have to strive, even if for that, we have to fight hard against the denialists, those who consider education a perversity for the youth ”, said Dean Vahan Agopyan.
Despite the difficulties caused by the covid-19 pandemic, almost 60 thousand students from public schools enrolled in the competition. In all, 3,707 schools participated, reaching 642 of the 645 municipalities in the State of São Paulo, an unprecedented index of coverage of the competition.
Eleven schools were awarded with the highest participation rate in the competition, 20 encouraging teachers and 78 outstanding teachers.
6,738 students from three years of high school were also awarded, who received a certificate and access to the online platform with complementary study material. Of these, 404 enrolled in the Fuvest entrance exam and 96 were approved and entered the University.
“Family participation is very important at this stage in the young student’s life. In these four years at CUCo, we have already had almost 1,800 students approved in one of USP’s 183 courses. A large part of these students are the first of their families to enter a public university, that is, there are 1,800 families infected by this process of change that we need so much in Brazil. For this reason, it is essential that we remain steadfast in this struggle in order to be able to advance more and more ”, highlights Vice-Rector Antonio Carlos Hernandes, general coordinator of the Vem pra USP!
The CUCo award – which normally takes place in several stages, with face-to-face events held in several cities in the State – was held virtually and was attended by USP executives, representatives of the State Department of Education and educational institutions.
During the ceremony, the website of the Program Come to USP was also launched ! , with courses and video classes aimed especially at high school students and teachers, as well as information on forms of admission, courses, actions and projects linked to the program, such as CUCo and Hub USP na Escola.