The president of the USP International Office (Aucani), Carlos Gilberto Carlotti Junior, participated on March 12 and 13 in the 14th Assembly of the Network of Public Macro-Universities of Latin America and the Caribbean, held at the University of Chile, in the city of Santiago, the capital of that country.
The meeting brought together representatives from 15 universities in nine Latin American countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay. Besides USP, participants included leaders from institutions such as the University of Buenos Aires, the National University of La Plata, the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the University of Costa Rica, the National Autonomous University of Honduras, and the University of the Republic of Uruguay.
On the first day, open to the academic community, forums and debates were held on strategic topics for Latin American higher education, such as the 2030 Agenda and the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the role of macro-universities in knowledge production, university extension indicators in international rankings, and the use of technological tools in academic mobility programs, especially in light of the advancement of artificial intelligence and digitalization.
Carlotti participated in the forum titled Higher Education and the Role of Public Universities, which also included the presence of the president of the International Relations Service of the University of Uruguay, Gonzalo Vicci, and the coordinator of International Relations and Affairs of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), William Lee Alardín. The session was moderated by the director of the UNAM Center for Mexican Studies – Latin America, Sandra Lorenzano.
The president of Aucani explained that in Brazil, public and private systems coexist in both health and education. However, according to him, in higher education, public universities hold the highest positions in academic rankings. Carlotti also pointed out that if university admission were through a single selective process, most of those accepted would likely come from private schools. To address this inequality, the adoption of three admission mechanisms – USP College Admissions Office (Fuvest), Enem (National High School Exam) USP, and Provão Paulista (Entrance Exam of São Paulo) – has allowed about 50% of USP’s students to come from public schools, expanding access opportunities.
Watch the full debate below:
On the second day of the Assembly, representatives from the participating universities held a working meeting to discuss strengthening cooperation among the network’s institutions, as well as future challenges related to coordination with other regional and global academic alliances. At the end of this session, priorities were set for strengthening public higher education in the region in light of current geopolitical and technological transformations, and the Declaration of Santiago of Chile was released. This document establishes three priority areas for the network’s actions: the urgent implementation of actions aimed at a sustainable development agenda post-2030; the recognition of the strategic role of public universities in knowledge production and social development in Latin America; and reflection on the ethical role of universities in the digital age.
For the president of the University of Chile, Rosa Devés, the meeting reinforced the importance of regional academic cooperation. According to her, the discussions demonstrated that the institutions share common challenges and that networking strengthens the capacity of public universities to defend education and critical thinking.
Established in 2002, the Network of Macro-Universities currently brings together 37 public universities from 20 countries. The organization advocates for university autonomy, academic freedom, and cooperation among higher education institutions in the region. The next meeting of the network is scheduled to be held at the State University of Campinas (Unicamp) in 2027.
Written with information provided by the Press Office of the University of Chile
English version: Nexus Traduções, edited by Denis Pacheco
