University quota bill comes into effect

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff enacted legislation last week that reserves half the spots at federal universities for public school students and gives priority to minorities, reports Channel News Asia.

Rousseff hailed the move to open access to federal universities, the most prestigious in the country. "The legislation addresses a double challenge: democratising access to universities and maintaining high quality of education," Rousseff said.

The law requires 50% of seats at federal universities to go to students who completed their secondary education in public schools. In Brazil, many wealthy families send their children to private schools, where the standard of education is often much higher. The reserved seats will be distributed among black, mixed race and indigenous students, proportional to the demographics in each state. Spots will also be reserved for the children of families with income of less than $450 a month.
Full report on the Channel News Asia site