Rectors of the three São Paulo state universities – Unicamp, USP and Unesp – and representatives of control bodies and the state public administration defended this Monday (17), at Unicamp, the use of simple language in public management not only as a writing technique, but especially as a tool for citizenship, combating corruption, social inclusion and efficiency in management.
During a seminar held in the auditorium of the Faculty of Medical Sciences (FCM), the Undersecretary of Management of the State of São Paulo, Renato Fenili, recalled that the tool goes beyond the restricted idea of the effectiveness of an administrative act.
“This is an instrument for preventing deviations and aligning with the UN's 16th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 16),” he said. SDG 16 seeks to promote peaceful and inclusive societies, ensure access to justice for all, and create strong, transparent and accountable institutions at all levels by 2030.
The general coordinator of Unicamp, Professor Fernando Coelho, said that the practice adopted in universities should spread to the rest of the country. “I hope it will be a movement that expands and that we can increasingly have simple language as a synonym for the full exercise of citizenship,” he said. “And that all people, regardless of their level of knowledge, will be able to understand what the State intends and what the State wants to implement,” he added.
The rector of Unicamp, Paulo Cesar Montagner, cited the difficulties faced in adapting to the new rules for public procurement and in the processes of importing resources for research. Because of this, he reinforced the importance of continuous dialogue between universities, the Judiciary, and oversight bodies. “This type of mechanism is fundamental for us to get closer and closer to state public bodies and advisory bodies. It is also important so that universities can make their knowledge available to society,” stated Montagner.
The rector of USP, Aluísio Segurado, pointed to simple language as a vector for transparency, responsibility, and efficiency in the use of public resources. According to him, the complexity of implementing this practice in large institutions (the USP community has more than 120 people, he noted) requires training for managers and administrative sectors in order to guarantee efficiency with legal certainty.
“Simple language will be the mechanism by which we can improve our capacity for communication and dialogue, not only internally, but also, and especially, with interlocutors from different sectors of society, including the external control bodies that are so important for monitoring the management of public services,” said Segurado.
The rector of Unesp, Maysa Furlan, stated that the use of simple language is not merely an exercise in rhetoric. "It has to break paradigms and bring us closer to Brazilian society," she said.
The executive coordinator of the School of Corporate Education (Educorp) at Unicamp, Edison Lins, recalled that the University began implementing plain language around 2021, with the technical contribution of staff member Thiago Pinheiro Rosa. The initiative has already resulted in agreements with external bodies such as the Regional Labor Court, the Federal Court of Accounts, the Comptroller General of the Union, and the Secretariat for Digital Government Management.
Also participating in the meeting were Guilherme Jardim, prosecutor for the Court of Auditors of the State of São Paulo, and Julia Plenamente, deputy attorney general for the State of São Paulo.
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