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Education in Brazil has had many changes. It first began with Jesuit missions, that controlled education for a long time. Then, two hundred years after their arrival, their powers were limited by the Marquis of Pombal. Shortly after the Jesuits' power was limited, the Brazilian government took over education and it is now is run by the government through the
Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
. Issues in education are now seen through PISA, the
Programme for International Student Assessment The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a worldwide study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in member and non-member nations intended to evaluate educational systems by measuring 15-yea ...
, and the Idep assessment now used by the Ministry. They have historically tested below average on all topics but are improving in mathematics. Brazil uses both public and private school systems. They have the traditional primary, secondary, tertiary and technical school levels. The Human Rights Measurement Initiative finds that Brazil is doing 86.8% of what should be possible at its level of income for the right to education.


History

When Portuguese explorers arrived in Brazil in the 16th century and started to colonize their new possessions in the
New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. ...
, the territory was inhabited by indigenous peoples and tribes who had no writing system or school education. The
Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
(Jesuits) was, since its beginnings in 1540, a
missionary order A missionary order is a Catholic religious order devoted to active missionary work. No Catholic religious order was founded for that purpose, but all the mendicant orders have been active in this field and others too, in particular the Jesuits, wh ...
. Evangelisation was one of the main goals of the Jesuits and they were committed to teaching and education, in Europe and overseas. The missionary activities, in the cities and in the countryside, were complemented by a strong commitment to education. This took the form of the opening of schools for boys, first in Europe but rapidly extended to America and Asia. The first elementary school in Brazil was founded by the Jesuits in what is now the city of Salvador, Bahia, and they established several others as well as high schools throughout the 1500s. These schools were primarily located in the more coastal regions of Brazil, as those had the largest colonial populations. The foundation of Catholic missions, schools, and
seminaries A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...
was another consequence of the Jesuit involvement in education. As the spaces and cultures where the Jesuits were present varied considerably, their evangelising methods were very often quite different from one place to another. However, the society's engagement in trade, architecture, science, literature, languages, arts, music and religious debate corresponded to the same main purpose of Christianisation. By the middle of the 16th century the Jesuits were present in West Africa, South America, Ethiopia, India, China, and Japan. This enlargement of their missionary activities took shape to a large extent within the framework of the
Portuguese Empire The Portuguese Empire ( pt, Império Português), also known as the Portuguese Overseas (''Ultramar Português'') or the Portuguese Colonial Empire (''Império Colonial Português''), was composed of the overseas colonies, factories, and the ...
. In a period when the world had a largely illiterate population, the Portuguese Empire was home to one of the first universities founded in Europe — the
University of Coimbra The University of Coimbra (UC; pt, Universidade de Coimbra, ) is a public research university in Coimbra, Portugal. First established in Lisbon in 1290, it went through a number of relocations until moving permanently to Coimbra in 1537. The u ...
, which is one of the oldest universities in continuous operation. Throughout the centuries of Portuguese rule, Brazilian students, mostly graduated of the Jesuit missions and seminaries, were allowed to enroll at
higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after compl ...
in
mainland Portugal Continental Portugal ( pt, Portugal continental, ) or mainland Portugal comprises the bulk of the Portuguese Republic, namely that part on the Iberian Peninsula and so in Continental Europe, having approximately 95% of the total population and 9 ...
. The Jesuits, a religious order founded to promote the cause and teachings of
Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, had gained influence with the
Portuguese crown This is a list of Portuguese monarchs who ruled from the establishment of the Kingdom of Portugal, in 1139, to the deposition of the Portuguese monarchy and creation of the Portuguese Republic with the 5 October 1910 revolution. Through the nea ...
and over education, and had begun missionary work in Portugal's overseas possessions, including the
colony of Brazil Colonial Brazil ( pt, Brasil Colonial) comprises the period from 1500, with the arrival of the Portuguese, until 1815, when Brazil was elevated to a kingdom in union with Portugal as the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. Duri ...
. By 1700, and reflecting a larger transformation of the Portuguese Empire, the Jesuits had decisively shifted from the
East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies), is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The Indies refers to various lands in the East or the Eastern hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainlands found in and around ...
to Brazil. In the late 18th century, Portuguese minister of the kingdom, the Marquis of Pombal, attacked the power of the privileged nobility and the church, and expelled the Jesuits from Portugal and its overseas possessions. Pombal seized the Jesuit schools and introduced education reforms all over the empire. In Brazil, the reforms were noted. Following the expulsion of Jesuits from Brazil, education was primarily left to remaining religious organizations and military institutions, which developed to protect Portuguese interests in the area following the discovery of gold. In 1772, before the establishment of the
Science Academy of Lisbon The Lisbon Academy of Sciences ( pt, Academia das Ciências de Lisboa) is Portugal's national academy dedicated to the advancement of sciences and learning, with the goal of promoting academic progress and prosperity in Portugal. It is one of Po ...
(1779), one of the first learned societies of Brazil and the Portuguese Empire was founded in
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
: the ''Sociedade Scientifica''. In 1797, the first botanic institute was founded in
Salvador Salvador, meaning " salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...
,
Bahia Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro) and the 5th-larges ...
. During the late 18th century, the ''Escola Politécnica'' (Polytechnic School) was created, then the ''Real Academia de Artilharia, Fortificação e Desenh''o (Royal Academy for Artillery, Fortifications and Design) was created in Rio de Janeiro, 1792, through a decree issued by the Portuguese authorities as a higher education school for the teaching of the sciences and engineering. Its legacy is shared by the '' Instituto Militar de Engenharia'' (Military Engineering Institute) and the ''Escola Politécnica da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro'' (Polytechnic School of the
Federal University of Rio de Janeiro The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro or University of Brazil (UFRJ; pt, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro or ') is a public research university located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the largest federal university in the ...
) — the oldest engineering school of Brazil and one of the oldest in the world. A royal letter of November 20, 1800 by the king
John VI of Portugal , house = Braganza , father = Peter III of Portugal , mother = Maria I of Portugal , birth_date = , birth_place = Queluz Palace, Queluz, Portugal , death_date = , death_place = Bemposta Palace, Lisbon, Portuga ...
established the ''Aula Prática de Desenho e Figura'' (Practice Class for Design and Form) in Rio de Janeiro. It was the first institution in Brazil systematically dedicated to the teaching of arts. During colonial times, the arts were mainly religious or utilitarian and were learnt in a system of
apprenticeship Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...
. A decree on August 12, 1816 created the ''Escola Real de Ciências, Artes e Ofícios'' (Royal School of Sciences, Arts and Crafts), which established an official education in the fine arts and built the foundations of the current ''
Escola Nacional de Belas Artes Escola de Belas Artes (School of Fine Arts) is one of the centers of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and dates back to colonial times. A royal letter of Nov 20 1800 by John VI of Portugal established the ''Aula Prática de Desenho e Figu ...
'' (National School of Fine Arts). In the 19th century, the Portuguese royal family, headed by then prince regent John, arrived in Rio de Janeiro, escaping from the Napoleonic invasion of Portugal in 1807. John VI gave impetus to the expansion of European civilization to Brazil. The presence of the monarchy in Brazil encouraged the development of more formal educational institutions. In the short period between 1808 and 1810, the Portuguese government founded the ''Academia Real dos Guarda Marinha'' (Royal Naval Academy), the ''Real Academia Militar'' (Royal Military Academy), the ''Biblioteca Nacional'' (
National Library of Brazil The Biblioteca Nacional do Brasil (English: ''National Library of Brazil'') is the depository of the bibliographic and documentary heritage of Brazil. It is located in Rio de Janeiro, the capital city of Brazil from 1822 to 1960, more specificall ...
), the ''Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro'' (
Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden The Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden or Jardim Botânico is located at the Jardim Botânico district in the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro. The Botanical Garden shows the diversity of Brazilian and foreign flora. There are around 6,500 species (so ...
), the ''Academia Médico-Cirúrgica da Bahia'' (Medic-Cirurgical Academy of Bahia), now known as ''Faculdade de Medicina'' (Med School) in the ''Universidade Federal da Bahia'' (
Federal University of Bahia The Federal University of Bahia ( pt, Universidade Federal da Bahia, UFBA) is a public university located mainly in the city of Salvador. It is the largest university in the state of Bahia and one of Brazil's most prestigious educational institu ...
) and the ''Academia Médico-Cirúrgica do Rio de Janeiro'' (Medic-Cirurgical Academy of Rio de Janeiro) which is now the medical school of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Brazil achieved independence in 1822. During the period of the Brazilian empire, the government did guarantee primary education to all Brazilians. However, this largely excluded enslaved people and indigenous people. Additionally, the established educational system was largely unable to serve the entire country, given the lack of resources and large size of Brazil. The first public secondary school was established in Rio de Janeiro in 1837, the ''Imperial Colégio'' ''de Pedro II,'' and served as both a day school as well as a boarding school. Other public secondary schools followed under a similar structure. Despite being public schools, the student bodies were predominately made up of economically well-off white men. Until the 20th century, it was a large rural nation with low social and economic standards comparing to the average North American and European standards. Its economy was based on the
primary sector The primary sector of the economy includes any industry involved in the extraction and production of raw materials, such as farming, logging, fishing, forestry and mining. The primary sector tends to make up a larger portion of the economy ...
, possessing an unskilled and increasingly larger workforce, composed of free people (including slave owners) and
slaves Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
or their direct descendants. Among the first
law school A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...
s founded in Brazil were the ones in
Recife That it may shine on all (Matthew 5:15) , image_map = Brazil Pernambuco Recife location map.svg , mapsize = 250px , map_caption = Location in the state of Pernambuco , pushpin_map = Brazil#South Am ...
and
São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaW ...
in 1827. But for decades to come, most Brazilian lawyers studied at European universities, such as in the ancient University of Coimbra, in Portugal, which had awarded degrees to generations of Brazilian students since the 16th century. In 1872 there were 9,930,478 inhabitants (84.8% free and 15.2% slaves). According to the
national census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
made in that year, among the free inhabitants (8,419,672 people), 38% were white, 39% were mixed race and 11% were black. Only 23.4% of the free men and 13.4% of the free women could read and write. In 1889, six decades after independence, only 20% of the total population could read and write. In the former colonial power, Portugal, about 80% of the population was classified as illiterate. Following the creation of the First Republic, the Ministry of Education, Post, and Telegraph was established. Previous thought on education tended to emphasize humanities-centric curriculums, however the educational legislation from this era focused on creating curriculums that centered on science and mathematics. Additionally, preparatory exams for secondary and tertiary education began to be widely used during the First Republic era. These exams were used to gauge a students preparedness for a certain course or subject. Education during this period continued to be mostly inaccessible to the black population of Brazil, due to the variety of socio-economic pressures they faced despite the abolition of slavery. With the massive post-war expansion that lasts to date, the government focused on strengthening Brazil's
tertiary education Tertiary education, also referred to as third-level, third-stage or post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank, for example, defines tertiary education as including univers ...
, while simultaneously neglecting assistance to primary and secondary education. The problems of primary and secondary education were compounded by significant quality differences across regions, with the northeast suffering dramatically. In the aftermath of Brazilian military rule, education became seen as a way to create a fairer society. "Citizen schools" emerged, designed to promote critical thinking, incorporation of marginalized people, and curiosity (over rote memorization and obedience). Education also became more standardized during and immediately following the World War II era, regulating the length of each level of schooling and the content of lessons, as well as outlining the requirements for becoming a primary school teacher. However, only about 16% of secondary school educators actually held degrees. Additionally, vocational secondary was emphasized as an option for lower-income students. During the period of economic growth around the 1950s, education in Brazil also became more accessible to lower-income people, with the numbers of students in both primary and secondary education significantly increasing. Today, Brazil struggles to improve the public education offered at earlier stages and maintain the high standards that the population has come to expect from public universities. The choice on public funding is an issue. In particular, the U.N. Development Goal of Universal Primary Education and a larger offer of education for students with special needs are pursued by Brazilian policy-makers. Despite its shortcomings, Brazil has progressed substantially since the 1980s. The nation witnessed an increase in school enrollment for children age 7–14, from 80.9% in 1980 to 96.4% in the year 2000. In the 15-17 age demographic, in the same period, this rate rose from 49.7% to 83%. Literacy rates rose from 75% to 90.0%. Voting has been mandatory for all citizens of Brazil since the first Constitution of 1824. However, people who are illiterate have, historically, not been able to be registered to vote. The Constitution of 1988 changed this, stating that those who are illiterate have the option to vote but it is not compulsory for those. The Constitution of 1824 also stated that those who made less than 100,000 reis were not able to vote. Throughout the 20th century, in response to campaigns occurring in other Latinoamérican countries, Brazilian states began their own literacy campaigns. Led by educators like
Paulo Freire Paulo Reglus Neves Freire (19 September 1921 – 2 May 1997) was a Brazilian educator and philosopher who was a leading advocate of critical pedagogy. His influential work '' Pedagogy of the Oppressed'' is generally considered one of the found ...
, the campaigns hoped to combat the high amounts of illiteracy in the countryside. Beginning in 1963, the campaigns were centered in rural areas. Paulo Freire's methods were widely popular due to the immediacy in which they seemed to work: as he claimed, a student could learn to read and write in 40 hours. The growing fear of
communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, ...
and the rising power of the military led to the end of the campaigns in 1964 and the exile of Freire and others like him. The military government began new campaigns in the late 1970s to questionable improvements. "Indigenous schools" became an official educational category in 1991 by the Brazilian Ministry of Education and Culture, meaning schools for indigenous people are no longer categorized solely as missionary schools or reservations schools. The change in designation has allowed these schools to be designated as state or municipal public schools, and receive funding and guidelines accordingly. The designation has also allowed more data to be collected on indigenous schools.


Issues

According to PISA, the
Programme for International Student Assessment The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a worldwide study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in member and non-member nations intended to evaluate educational systems by measuring 15-yea ...
, Brazil, on average, underperforms. Brazilian students score lower than the average in reading, mathematics, and science, the three categories of testing. Their scores have improved since 2000, the first year the test was taken. Since 2000, Brazil has started the Brazil Literate Program to lower the rate of illiteracy in those ages 15 and older. Brazil has also implemented the IDEP, the Index of Basic Education Development, which evaluates school flow and performance rates in the test. According to the website, the index is used to tell whether the educational system should be improved. The program is important in deciding public policy of the educational system. IDEP also led to the creation of the Social Mobilisation program which works to involve the entire community in the educational system. Several other committees have created programs in individual municipalities in order to curb the IDEP findings. It takes an extra three years to finish elementary school for low-income students
PNAD
the national household survey, shows. Costs of finishing school rise each year until it is impossible to attend, meaning that low-income students also have the lowest rates for completing school. Rio de Janeiro began a program in 2009 called the Reforço Escolar testing all students in the beginning of the school year to discover all who are not yet at grade level. Those who are not receive two weeks of in-depth tutoring.
São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaW ...
and Paraná have also created programs to help those who are behind, either due to being low-income or for other reasons. During the Covid-19 pandemic, many low-income students enrolled in public schools had minimal access to the technology required for virtual learning, as many students did not own personal computers, and schools often did not have the budget to distribute them. From the start of the school closures in March 2020 to August 2020, it is estimated that about 38 million students in basic education were left with no educational instruction or activity. Additionally, many rural and indigenous regions have particularly low access to technology and reliable internet, making virtual learning widely inaccessible to students from those areas. Additionally, racial inequalities in education are prevalent in Brazil, both in terms dropout rates and quality of education. School materials, such as textbooks often lack the perspectives of Black students or contain stereotypes. Black and mixed-race students are also more likely to attend less school than white students. While the differences between them have narrowed in the 21st century, black students on average get about one year of education less than their white counterparts. In recent years, Brazilian universities have been using affirmative action programs to attempt to remedy these inequalities. As of 2018, the
illiteracy Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in Writing, written form in some specific context of use. In other wo ...
rate for people age 15 or more was of 6.8%


Organization and structure

Education is divided into three levels, with grades in each level: * Pre-school education (educação infantil) is found in public institutions and private institutions. * Basic education (ensino básico) is found in public institutions and private institutions, and mandatory for those between the ages of 6 and 17. It consists of elementary school (ensino fundamental) and high school (ensino médio). * Higher education (ensino superior) (including graduate degrees) is found in public institutions and private institutions.


Pre-school education (educação infantil)

Pre-school education is optional and exists to aid in the development of children under 6. It aims to assist in all areas of child development, including motor skills, cognitive skills, and social skills while providing fertile ground for the later acquisition of knowledge and learning. There are day nurseries for children under 2, kindergartens for 2- to 3-year-olds, and preschools for children 4 and up. Public preschools are provided by city governments. Pre-school education is typically taught by a combination of teachers who hold early childhood education degrees and teachers' aides, who typically only need a high school education. The average child-staff ratio in pre-school education is 1 teacher to every 14 students, and 8 students to every staff member including both teachers and aides.


Elementary school (ensino fundamental)

Elementary school is mandatory for children ages 6–14. There are nine "years" (as opposed to the former eight "grades"). The current "first year" broadly corresponds to the former pre-school last year of private institutions, and its aim is to achieve literacy. Generally speaking, the only prerequisite for enrolling in first year is that a child should be 6 years old, but some education systems allow children younger than 6 to enroll in first year (as long as they turn 6 during the first academic semester). Older students who have not completed their elementary education are allowed to attend, though those over 18 are separated from the younger children. The National Council of Education (''Conselho Nacional de Educação'') establishes a core curriculum consisting of
Portuguese language Portuguese ( or, in full, ) is a western Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European language family, originating in the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. It is an official language of Portugal, Brazil, Cape Verde, Angola, Mozambique, ...
,
history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
,
geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, an ...
,
science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence ...
,
mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
,
arts The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both ...
and
physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorat ...
(for years 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5). As for years 6, 7, 8 and 9, one or two foreign languages are also compulsory (usually English and an optional language). Each education system supplements this core curriculum with a diversified curriculum defined by the needs of the region and the abilities of individual students. Elementary education is divided in two stages, called ''Ensino Fundamental I'' (years 1–5) and ''Ensino Fundamental II'' (years 6–9). During ''Ensino Fundamental I'' each group of students is usually assisted by a single teacher. In ''Ensino Fundamental II'', there are as many teachers as subjects. The length of the school year is set by the National Education Bases and Guidelines Law (''Lei de Diretrizes e Bases da Educação'') to at least 200 days. Elementary schools must provide students with at least 800 hours of activities per year. The school calendar is set by individual schools, which often organize their calendars according to planting and harvesting seasons in rural areas.


High school (ensino médio)

Students must have completed their elementary school before they enroll in high school. High school takes three years. The minimum is 2,200 hours of teaching over three years. High school
core curriculum In education, a curriculum (; : curricula or curriculums) is broadly defined as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view ...
comprises Portuguese (including Portuguese language, essay studies, Brazilian and
Portuguese literature Portuguese literature is, generally speaking, literature written in the Portuguese language, particularly by citizens of Portugal; it may also refer to literature written by people living in Portugal, Brazil, Angola and Mozambique, and other ...
s), foreign language (usually
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
, also
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
and very rarely
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
),
History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
,
Geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, an ...
,
Mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
,
Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which ...
,
Chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, proper ...
,
Arts The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both ...
,
Physical Education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorat ...
, and
Biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary ...
.
Philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. ...
and
Sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...
, which were banned during the
military dictatorship A military dictatorship is a dictatorship in which the military exerts complete or substantial control over political authority, and the dictator is often a high-ranked military officer. The reverse situation is to have civilian control of the ...
(1964–1985), have become compulsory again.


Technical education (ensino técnico)

The coursing of the second or third year of high school or the completion of these years is mandatory for those who intend to enroll in technical education. In addition, students must pass an entrance examination for their specific course. These institutions usually have a greater number of hours per week. The instruction of the technical course lasts from one year and a half to two years.


Higher education (ensino superior)

The completion of high school or equivalent is mandatory for those who intend to enroll in
higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after compl ...
. In addition, students must pass an entrance examination (known as ''
vestibular The Vestibular (from pt, vestíbulo, "entrance hall") is a competitive examination and is the primary and widespread entrance system used by Brazilian universities to select the students admitted. The Vestibular usually takes place from Nove ...
'') for their specific course. The number of candidates per available place in the
freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...
class may be in excess of 30 or 40 to one in the not so competitive courses at the top public universities. The most competitive ones excess 80 or 150. In some courses with small number of vacancies, this number can be as high as 200 (medical school, for example). As is the case in many nations, higher education in Brazil can be divided into
undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-le ...
and graduate work. In addition to providing education, universities promote research and provide separate classes to the community. The Brazilian standard for technology (
Associate degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. Th ...
), licentiate or
bachelor's A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...
degree is awarded in most areas of the
arts The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both ...
,
humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at t ...
,
social sciences Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of so ...
,
exact sciences The exact sciences, sometimes called the exact mathematical sciences, are those sciences "which admit of absolute precision in their results"; especially the mathematical sciences. Examples of the exact sciences are mathematics, optics, astron ...
, or
natural sciences Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeat ...
, and lasts two to three years for technology courses, three to four years for licenciate and bachelor's courses in general and five to six years for special bachelor's courses such as
law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...
,
architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...
,
engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...
,
human medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practic ...
and
veterinary medicine Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. Along with this, it deals with animal rearing, husbandry, breeding, research on nutri ...
. After graduation students can take postgraduate courses being these latu sensu or stricto sensu. Latu sensu graduate degrees are specializations and refinements lasting one to two years and do not confer academic title. At the end of the course the student must present a course completion work. (Example of latu sensu: MBA, specialization, medical residency, among others). Graduate degrees stricto sensu are courses that confer academic title. After graduation, the student must do a master's degree with a duration of two years and after that period present a master's thesis. If it is approved by the examining board, it will receive the master's degree. The doctorate course in Brazil is the most academic degree course. In order to study this postgraduate course it is necessary to have the title of Master. The doctorate has a duration of four years and must be unpublished. After four years of course the student will present the doctoral thesis to an assessment bank, if approved will receive the title of Doctor. There are more than 2,600 universities in Brazil, between private and public, according to MEC. Higher vocational education is in general assumed by non-university institutions and the federal Institutions for Education, Science and Technology (38 in 2008). Studies show that, despite the expansion of access to Higher Education in Brazil, this had very limited impact on the country's social disparities.


Teacher training and qualification

Students can obtain teacher training in secondary schools through vocational programs. In addition to the required courses to graduate, students take
teacher training Teacher education or teacher training refers to programs, policies, procedures, and provision designed to equip (prospective) teachers with the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, approaches, methodologies and skills they require to perform their t ...
courses which includes a supervised internship and need 300 hours of teaching practice. Students can be certified through the secondary school program; however, to teach
secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
s, most teaching students need higher education to obtain either a master's or doctorate's. Schools do offer school administration training, but it is not compulsory for students hoping to become an administrator. The licenses and degrees are as follows: teaching certification through vocational programs, a bachelor's, master's, and doctorate. Recently, the government has released a new National Education Plan outlining 20 goals to improve national education, four of which outline improvements to teacher training.


Educational statistics

As a large middle-income country, Brazil has several regions. Its education system is accordingly plagued by many deficiencies and social and regional disparities. As of 2017: *Literacy rate of 91.73% for people age 15 or older As of 2017: *The nation invests 5.95% of GDP on education, approximately 15.72% of total government expenditures. As of 2017: *Literacy rate of 67.8% for people age 6 to 14 *Literacy rate of 79.1% for people age 15 to 17 *Literacy rate of 99.6% of Brazil. PISA results as of 2019: * Science: Above average; stable since 2006 * Mathematics: Above average; improvement since 2006 * Reading: Above average; stable since 2006 * Equity: (none available) ** Boys versus Girls: Above average; stable since 2006 ** Social Background: Average; improvement since 2006


International education

As of January 2015, the International Schools Consultancy (ISC) listed Brazil as having 136 international schools. ISC defines an 'international school' in the following terms: "ISC includes an international school if the school delivers a curriculum to any combination of pre-school, primary or secondary students, wholly or partly in English outside an English-speaking country, or if a school in a country where English is one of the official languages, offers an English-medium curriculum other than the country's national curriculum and is international in its orientation." This definition is used by publications including ''
The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...
''.


See also

* Associação Brasileira de Educação a Distância *
Education policy in Brazil Education policy in Brazil has been given importance by the federal and local governments since 1995. At that time, the government of President Fernando Henrique Cardoso and the Brazilian Ministry of Education began to pursue three areas of nati ...
*
Privatization Privatization (also privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation when ...


References


Further reading

* * Antunes dos Santos, Renato, and Maria do Patrocinio Tenorio Nunes. "Medical education in Brazil." ''Medical Teacher'' 41.10 (2019): 1106-111
online
* Barausse, Alberto, and Terciane Ângela Luchese. "Nationalisms and schooling: between italianity and brazility, disputes in the education of italian-gaucho people (Rs, Brazil, 1930-1945)." ''History of Education & Children's Literature'' 12.2 (2017). * Barbosa, Lia Pinheiro. "Educação do Campo ducation for and by the countrysideas a political project in the context of the struggle for land in Brazil." ''Journal of Peasant Studies'' 44.1 (2017): 118-143. * Birdsall, Nancy, Richard H. Sabot, and Richard Sabot, eds. ''Opportunity foregone: education in Brazil'' (IDB, 1996). * Brown, David S. "Democracy, authoritarianism and education finance in Brazil." ''Journal of Latin American Studies'' 34.1 (2002): 115-141. * Crespo, Manuel, José Francisco Soares, and Alberto de Mello e Souza. "The Brazilian national evaluation system of basic education: Context, process, and impact." in ''Studies in Educational Evaluation'' 26.2 (2000): 105-12
online
* da Silva, Mônica R., and Claudia BM Abreu. "Education in the Purview of Public Policy: An Assessment of Educational Reform in Brazil, 1990–2004." ''Canadian Journal of Development Studies/Revue canadienne d'études du développement'' 29.3-4 (2010): 245-258. * Dawson, Andrew. "A very Brazilian experiment: the base education movement, 1961-67." ''History of Education'' 31.2 (2002): 185-194. * Filho, Luciano Mendes de Faria, and Marcilaine Soares Inácio. "Civilise the people, build the nation: scientific and literary association and education in Minas Gerais (Brazil) at the beginning of the Brazilian empire." ''Paedagogica Historica'' 49.1 (2013): 82-89. * Havighurst, Robert James, and Aparecida Joly Gouveia. ''Brazilian secondary education and socio-economic development'' (Praeger, 1969). * Heringer, Rosana, Ollie Johnson, and Ollie A. Johnson III, eds. ''Race, politics, and education in Brazil: Affirmative action in higher education'' (Springer, 2016). * Johnson III, Ollie A. and Rosana Heringer, et al eds. ''Race, Politics, and Education in Brazil: Affirmative Action in Higher Education'' (2015). * Kang, Thomas H. "Education and development projects in Brazil, 1932-2004: a critique." ''Brazilian Journal of Political Economy'' 38.4 (2018): 766-780
online
* McCowan, Tristan. "Expansion without equity: An analysis of current policy on access to higher education in Brazil." ''Higher education'' 53.5 (2007): 579-59
online
* McCowan, Tristan. "The growth of private higher education in Brazil: Implications for equity and quality." ''Journal of Education Policy'' 19.4 (2004): 453-47
online
* Mortatti, Maria do Rosário Longo. "Literature for primary school and education of Republican citizen, in the Revista de Ensino (SP-Brazil)-1902-1918." ''História da Educação'' 22.56 (2018): 106-12
online
* Musacchio, Aldo, André Martínez Fritscher, and Martina Viarengo. "Colonial institutions, trade shocks, and the diffusion of elementary education in Brazil, 1889–1930." ''Journal of Economic History'' (2014): 730-76
online
also
online in JSTOR
* Neves, Clarissa Eckert Baeta, and Carlos Benedito Martins. "Higher education in Brazil: a comprehensive view." ''Sociologies in Dialogue'' 3.1 (2018): 4-2
online
* Raizer, Leandro, and Celia Elizabete Caregnato. "Secondary Education in Brazil: a system that persists in social reproduction." ''Sociologies in Dialogue'' 5.2 (2020): 92-106. * Sampaio, Helena, Ana Maria Carneiro, and Marcelo Knobel. "Higher education challenges in Brazil." ''Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in the South'' 1.1 (2017): 39-5
online
* Schultz, Kirsten. "Learning to obey: education, authority, and governance in the early eighteenth-century Portuguese Empire." ''Atlantic Studies'' 12.4 (2015): 435-456. * Schwartzman, Simon, and Elizabeth Balbachevsky. "The academic profession in Brazil" in ''The international academic profession: portraits of fourteen countries'' (1996), edited by P. G. Altbach

pp 231–280. * Schwartzman, Simon. "Brazil", in Burton R. Clark and Guy Neave, es. ''The Encyclopedia of Higher Education'' (Pergamon Press, 1992), vol. I, 82-92. * Schwartzman, Simon, ed. "The challenges of education in Brazil." (2004
online
* Schwartzman, Simon. "Equity, quality and relevance in higher education in Brazil." ''Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências'' 76.1 (2004): 173-18
online
* Silveira, Renê Trentin. "Education policy and national security in Brazil in the post-1964 context." ''Paedagogica Historica'' 49.2 (2013): 253-272. * Tarlau, Rebecca. "Coproducing rural public schools in Brazil: Contestation, clientelism, and the landless workers’ movement." ''Politics & Society'' 41.3 (2013): 395-42
online
* Tarlau, Rebecca. ''Occupying schools, occupying land: how the landless workers movement transformed Brazilian education:'' (Oxford University Press, 2019). * Veiga, Cynthia Greive. "Schooling, organisation of the constitutional monarchy and the education of citizens (Brazil, 1822–1889)." ''Paedagogica Historica'' 49.1 (2013): 34-42.


Historiography and memory

* Abboud Pompeo De Camargo, Munir. "Historiography of school architecture in the state of São Paulo: the nineteenth century amidst history and architecture." ''Paedagogica Historica'' 55.1 (2019): 70-87. * Barausse, Alberto. "The construction of national identity in textbooks for Italian schools abroad: the case of Brazil between the two World Wars." ''History of Education & Children's Literature'' 10.2 (2015). * da Silva, Marcos Antônio, and Selva Guimarães Fonseca. "Teaching History Today: wanderings, achievements and losses." ''Revista Brasileira de Historia'' 30.60 (2010): 11-31. * Gatti Júnior, Décio, and Bruno Gonçalves Borges. "Between the Empire and the Republic: the permanence of a biography of the Nation in the history taught in secondary and primary schools in Brazil (1860-1950)." ''History of Education & Children's Literature'' 10.2 (2015). * Gondra, José Gonçalves, et al. "History of education in Brazil: the construction of a knowledge field." ''Paedagogica Historica'' 50.6 (2014): 822-82
online
* Mello, Paulo. "Public policies for the production of textbooks for youth and adults in Brazil books: some reflections on recent historical trajectory." in ''Public policies for the production of textbooks for youth and adults in Brazil books: some reflections on recent historical trajectory'' (2014) pp: 47-57.


External links


Ministry of Education

Committee of Education and Culture

Brief story of education in Brazil


a webdossier compiled by "Education Worldwide", a portal belonging to the German Education Server

a webdossier compiled by "Education Worldwide", a portal belonging to the German Education Server
Vocational Education in Brazil
Brazil's Profile on UNESCO-UNEVOC. {{Americas topic, Education in Society of Brazil