Global Education Executives
BRAZIL
Brazil is one of the most populous countries in the world, sitting at more than 200 million people with a land mass spanning over half of South America’s area. As both a cultural and natural hub of interest to the world, Brazil has seen a series of economic boosts following its governmental changes in the past few centuries. With its diverse people groups and rising economic power, Brazil has had the resources to strive for quality education among its students in the past decades.
Though Brazil had gone through many political changes in the past two centuries, the new federal republic implemented the start of many educational reforms and developments upon their establishment. In 1988, education was acknowledged as a universal right that should be encouraged and protected by the government. The National Education Bases and Guidelines Law was passed in 1996, establishing a system with primary, secondary, and tertiary schools made available to all students. A national curriculum was simultaneously established, and education was made compulsory until age 14. Thanks to the government’s efforts, Brazil has now risen as one of the best education systems in Latin/South America, with a total of over 50 million students enrolled.
With a strong foundation, Brazil has noticeably strived for quality education in the past few decades. However, despite the new opportunities brought about by the recent educational reforms, there are still disparities in the education system that have especially been rocked by recent political changes. Though the government had increased spending on education to slightly over 10%, with the implementation of the new regime, spending towards education has been cut. Brazil currently spends less on their elementary and secondary students than most OECD nations. Many areas in Brazil are still struggling with poverty, leading to disparities between the most developed cities, such as San Paolo, and the more rural areas. Besides the difference in school funding, graduation rates in the bigger cities are much higher than the rural areas, and students from rural areas almost never seek graduate school.
Brazil has seen great progress in educational reform in the last few decades, enrolling over 99% of their youth in primary and secondary school and leading as the most developed South American country in this area. However, quality education is still not accessible to every student in the country; as access to education is directly linked to funding, Brazil must tackle the wealth disparities in the country first.
References:
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Momsen, Richard P. & E. Bradford Burns (November 7, 2024). Brazil. Britannica.com. https://britannica.com/place/Brazil
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Monroy, Carlos (November 14, 2019). Education in Brazil. WENR.org. https://wenr.wes.org/2019/11/education-in-brazil
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GPS Education (n.d.). Brazil: Overview of the education system (EAG 2024). OECD.org. https://gpseducation.oecd.org/CountryProfile?primaryCountry=BRA&treshold=10&topic=EO