Though a federal court had suspended Brazil’s national university entrance exam (Enem) for this year, Education Minister Abraham Weintraub took to social media to say that nothing will change in his department’s schedule. On Twitter, he declared: “ENEM WILL HAPPEN!” Later, the Education Ministry issued a statement announcing it will appeal the court’s decision, adding that the online version of the test will be postponed, but that the in-person examination remains scheduled for November 1 and 8.
The presiding judge on the case said maintaining the original schedule would be “unreasonable.” The court alleged students are being harmed by the changes to the school calendar and will not have an opportunity to prepare for the test.
The Education Ministry has been one of the most-criticized sectors of the Jair Bolsonaro administration. After a year on the job, Mr. Weintraub has been at the center of many controversies, which recently included a series of racist statements towards the Chinese Embassy. Before that, his predecessor, Colombian-born Ricardo Vélez-Rodríguez, declared war against “leftist indoctrination” in the Brazilian school system.
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