The Brazilian Education Context

Brazil is a large and incredibly diverse country, equally well-known for its Amazonian rainforest as for its sprawling megacities. With a population over 212 million, Brazil is also diverse in culture and more that 160 languages are spoken by the Indigenous communities in the country. The homeland of Paulo Freire, Brazil has a long history of popular and participatory education methodologies. Today, education in Brazil is highly decentralised with municipalities and states in charge of education policy and curricular priorities. Learning outcomes are highly unequal between wealthier and poorer members of society, reflective of the historically severe social inequality in the country.

 Current priorities include working for better conditions for teachers, as well as initial and continuing training, incorporating practice and moments of reflections throughout the career as this has a direct impact on students’ learning. Another challenge is to improve learning conditions: schools must have a minimum physical structure and adequate pedagogical resources in terms of curricula, teaching materials and evaluation systems to ensure that everyone learns.

Now, more than ever, Brazil’s education system needs a holistic and equitable approach, engaging students in their learning process, especially to tackle high dropout rates in secondary school. Also, it is fundamental to guarantee appropriate public investments in education, historically low compared to other countries, and improve management: state and municipal departments must mobilise their resources, including budgetary and financial resources, in the service of quality education.