From Footballers to Favelas: Can Brazil Close its Education Gap?

Photo Courtesy of Nicole Reed. Students arrive at the Colégio Estadual in Iporã, Paraná, where the author taught in 2005.

Teachers at state schools face steep challenges in their overfull classrooms. Public school classes are officially limited to around 30 students; however, staff shortages and lack of space in many rural schools mean that up to 50 children frequently fill a single classroom. In contrast, private schools usually have only 12 pupils per class. "To check every child's book and converse with students individually would be ideal," said Ivete Valvassore, a Portuguese teacher who struggles with overcrowded classrooms. "Sadly, I rarely have the opportunity."

I learned about these teachers' obstacles firsthand when I tried to organise an exercise in an English lesson at the Colégio Estadual in Iporã, Paraná. The students were given vocabulary the week before and were supposed to prepare a short conversation using it. It was impossible to supervise the unruly class of 40, and of course many students didn't even try to complete the exercise. Because of the challenges of controlling large classrooms, most Brazilian teachers rarely attempt interactive work like this, so lessons are often reduced to constant copying.

In addition to overcrowding, state schools also suffer from a lack of funding. Hands-on science lessons are frequently unavailable to most state schools, since they cannot afford laboratories-The Colégio Estadual de Iporã used to have a lab but had to close it due to expense and a lack of teachers to supervise, as I was told by some dismayed faculty members. In contrast, the majority of private schools have a laboratory, which gives students an academic advantage. Inequality between what the state schools receive in comparison to private schools can clearly be frustrating for teachers; however, the majority make the best of what they have.

Teachers admitted that they needed better preparation and higher pay. "Books are so expensive, it is hard to keep up with changes in your subject," Valvassore said. "I am lucky, but for other teachers without a second income the wage is just enough to put food on the table." Few language teachers that I met could speak more than a sentence of English; many are uninterested in the subject and take on the classes because they are in need of extra money but have not received the proper training to teach their students this important subject. State school teachers often have to work very long hours to earn a living, meaning that they have less time to mark schoolwork and end up taking shortcuts like creating tests with quick answer questions instead of essays, leaving students' writing skills largely undeveloped.

The social inequalities in Brazilian society only reinforce disadvantages. Poorer families frequently see their children's education as unnecessary or unimportant: They do not envisage many opportunities for their children, knowing they cannot afford to send them to university, and would prefer their children work as many hours as possible to support their households. This attitude is infectious, and students themselves become uninterested in school, believing that it will not change their situation. "Most of them think in the short-term," said student Cleiton Antunes of his fellow classmates. "They are more interested in going out and spending time with their friends." This is clear from class attendance, particularly at night school. Autunes reported that the night before, there had been 35 students at the start of the lessons, but by the last hour only five remained.

With this mentality, these students' predictions about their futures often come true. The university system in Brazil, though on its surface egalitarian, in practice actually reduces economically disadvantaged students' chances of receiving a higher education. Currently, Brazilian students with the best grades gain places in the best universities, which are state-funded, whilst others have to pay for their degree from what are often less prestigious private institutions. Ultimately, it is the richer students who win these precious spots at the top, tuition-free colleges, since most have attended better-funded private schools and are thus more likely to achieve better grades. Scholarships do exist but are rare and difficult to obtain. Meanwhile, private universities bear poor reputations because admission is open and non-competitive. As a result, a degree from a private university does not guarantee employment, so many graduates end up jobless and in debt. For many underprivileged students, the road to a good profession is murky and steep, and so the cycle of inequality continues.

The gap between rich and poor is a hard one to close, but the government is trying to improve the situation with the help of funding and research from international organisations like the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Influenced by the suggestions of the UNESCO-backed Delors Report, Brazilian educational policy since 2001 has been directed towards increasing the responsibility and accountability of teachers and improving their training. The government has implemented new performance targets for teachers and students alike in an attempt to homogenise educational practice and raise standards. Funding and training, two aspects crucial to the reduction of inequality in education, are therefore being addressed in some way. For those in rural areas such as Iporã, however, improvements are yet to be seen. Though it is moving in the right direction, Brazil's education system still has a long way to go in the fight against inequality.