BBB 24 runner-up Mateus Amaral spoke out on Friday (14) following a controversy regarding his college enrollment. As per Corporation Notification No. 046/2014, the Gaucho was given the post Share to self-declare as a black person.
According to the former agricultural engineering student, he was not the one who attended the university. “The registration was conducted by a third party, who made the mistake of choosing the method of racial quotas without my consent or prior knowledge. I understand the fundamental importance of quota policies in Brazil,” he said.
He added: “For this reason, I deeply regret any impression that I sought to benefit unjustifiably from this policy, which was never my intention.”
He continued: “I reiterate my regret for any inconvenience caused and my continued commitment to being an active advocate for racial and social equality.” I appreciate the opportunity to clarify this matter and apologize for any misunderstanding that may have occurred.
Pronounced IFar
In a note to g1, FIFA reported that according to the Quota Law 2012, the only document required to register for the quota is the candidate's self-declaration. “As in other federal educational institutions, there was no mechanism to verify or prove the candidate’s declaration. However, the notices included information that “detecting any kind of fraud in the conduct of the process exposes the candidate to loss of place and penalties of the law, at any time, even after registration.”
The Foundation also highlighted that when it received the complaint, a normal administrative process was opened to ensure full defense for all parties. However, “no such complaint was filed at that time.”
See the full memo:
“In 2014, student Mateus Amaral Vargas enrolled in the Bachelor of Agricultural Engineering degree offered in collaboration with Unipampa. He was registered for job openings reserved for black/brown candidates. This information is contained in Notice No. 046/2014, which is public and contains the results of selection for that course in that year. This course, offered jointly with Unipampa, is no longer offered by IFFar since 2021. Matteus Amaral Vargas is also no longer an IFFar student.
Regarding admission through the quota system, it is very important to clarify that at that time, according to the Quota Act 2012, the only document required for quota registration was the candidate's self-declaration. As in other federal educational institutions, there was no mechanism to verify or prove the candidate's statement. However, the notices included information stating that “the discovery of any type of fraud in the conduct of the process exposes the candidate to loss of place and penalties of the law, at any time, even after registration.”
Since there is no specific mechanism to verify self-declaration, potential fraud is only investigated in the event of a complaint. In other words, someone must file a formal complaint with the institution's ombudsman's office. In this case, the matter can be investigated internally, through a normal administrative process, ensuring full defense for all parties. No such report was submitted at that time.
It is also necessary to point out that the national quota policy has improved over time, mainly due to reports of possible fraud at various institutions, many of which have received widespread media coverage. One of the mechanisms in place is cross-identification, which IFFar has adopted since selections were made in 2022 for entry in 2023. Currently, each IFFar campus has a committee of three main persons and two alternates who work in all student selection processes.“
