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Mendon?a Filho, the?Brazilian minister for education and culture, has issued a statement insisting that public universities in Brazil remain free and that ¡°any information to the contrary is false¡±.

He made the statement in the light of ongoing congressional debate around a constitutional amendment bill that would give public universities the option of charging for extension courses and specialist programmes but would not affect undergraduate, master¡¯s or doctorate degrees.

The bill was supported by Aloizio Mercadante, a former education minister, as a way of raising more funds for ÖйúAƬ. He is also keen to establish a fund enabling alumni to give money to the institutions where they studied.

A separate bill, now before the senate, envisages students who come from families with incomes more than 30 times the minimum wage paying fees equivalent to the average student¡¯s maintenance costs for attending a public university.

The National Students¡¯ Union and the National Association of Graduate Students are among those opposing the measure on the grounds that quality education at all levels should be available for free.

matthew.reisz@tesglobal.com