10 Facts About Education in Brazil
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Loading... - Robbe Jansens
- 22 Jun 2022
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Education in Brazil has its fair shares of challenges, but the country is taking active measures to turn around the prospects in order to improve the country’s population and future prospects.
Education in Brazil has faced its fair share of challenges, but it continues to have a hopeful outlook as the country is taking steps toward improvement. Out of all the OECD and partner countries, Brazil has one of the largest shares of adults who lack secondary education. But that doesn’t mean that its residents aren’t trying to get an education, nor does it mean that the government is not working towards reform.
Brazil is ranked #32 in the world for education, but in the form of the Plano Nacional de Edcucacao (PNE), there are 21 measures that the country is taking to increase the quality of education in the country.
While these facts may be mind blowing and some are less than optimal, the silver lining is that education is becoming globally accessible through online programs, such as what University of the People offers. But before we jump into beyond-the-border alternatives, let’s take a look at the current status of education in the country.
1. Income Inequality and Education
With only 69% of 15-19 year olds enrolled in education and 29% of 20-24 year olds, the country is facing a crisis of uneducated adults. Therefore, when compared with partner countries, Brazil’s income equality is one of the highest. Because education is highly correlated with income, the lack of education contributes to larger salary gaps between those who have and those who have not earned their degrees.
2. Degrees Hold High Weight for Salaries
Like virtually anywhere in the world, those with undergraduate and graduate degrees earn higher salaries than their counterparts without a degree. But, in Brazil, the difference is starkly contrasted.
For example, graduate salaries are 2.5 times higher than those without degrees, and for those who didn’t finish secondary education, the salaries end up being 5 times higher. This is why the income inequality and educational discrepancies is so dramatic.
But why is the difference between those who are educated versus those who are uneducated so large? The truth is Brazil’s education system favors the rich. Even those who attend the public universities are more likely to be whiter and richer, and have mostly attended private schools in their past.
3. Government Expenditure on Education is Increasing
In 2014, Dilma Rousseff, Brazil’s president, announced a new educational plan. The plan called for the country to invest 10% of the gross domestic product (GDP) towards education by 2024. But the projection is doubtful to occur because of the aftermath of the financial crisis that occured not too long ago. Even with this reform and plan, the investment in
education is lower than most OECD countries.
4. Educational Structure
The educational system in Brazil starts at a young age. Students up to three years old can attend pre-school and those ages 4-6 can enroll in kindergarten. However, pre-school is not mandatory. With that being said, they are broken up into Maternal, which are usually state funded and accept children ages 2-5, or Jardim, which are more likely to be private and accept older students at ages 3-6. The educational differences start at this young age. Jardims are more likely to focus on academics and provide a foundation for the future education of a child, and they are private. This means the publicly funded pre-schools serve more as daycares, and it’s in these early stages that the discrepancies which later cause income inequality can be seen.
5. School Types
Like most other countries, Brazil has different types of school, including public, private and international options. Public schools are free, but most expats prefer to enroll their children in private or international schools for better quality education. International schools are a form of private schools, but they are more reputable because they offer foreign education, like British or American curriculums. Therefore, they are more desirable to better prepare students to enroll in colleges in those countries upon graduation, should they choose to do so. International schools cost BRL 3,000-9,000 per month, whereas private schools can cost less than BRL 1,000 per month. It’s clear to see that the better quality of education is reserved for those with deeper pockets. Read More...
