Brazil fights poverty of education
BY ANDREW HAYMORE than 20 million people in Brazil are illiterate. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has promised to change that. But with tight budgets and a historic lack of concern for education, that’s easier said than done.
Education Minister Cristovam Buarque says Brazil is still “a nation divided by castes” with a white elite enjoying rich-nation living standards while the poor majority live in dire poverty.
Some 115 years after Brazil ended slavery, he sees education as a means to complete abolition and give equal rights to the half of the country’s 175 million people who call themselves black.
Buarque sees three ways out of poverty: get rich in business; join a conservative political party, or get a university education, when only one third of Brazilians manage to finish secondary school.
To broaden the access to university, Buarque’s plan is to eradicate illiteracy by 2006, then get 80% of 17-year-olds past secondary school by 2015.
Brazil’s wealthiest regions have illiteracy of between 6% and 12% – higher than in nations like Costa Rica, Cuba and Argentina. The poorest areas have up to 60% illiteracy, just below the level of the poorest African nations.
Only students in the wealthiest schools can afford tutoring necessary to pass tough tests to get into public university.
Others must fight for government scholarships to attend expensive, often second-rate, private universities.
In a year and a half Buarque’s government intends to have taught 4.5 million Brazilians to read and write, more than during the previous two terms (a total of eight years) of centrist President Fernando Henrique Cardoso. – Reuters
News Poll
- Transsexual worries for safety after negative reactions to ‘marriage’
- Pol-sec said to have amassed wealth under probe
- Two managers killed in payroll grab
- DPP: Rape victim’s story consistent
- Hisham: Johor and Negri princes may settle case out of court
- Government paid RM125mil to maintain cars, says Najib
- Recognition for 700-year-old Batu Bersurat
- Fatine’s family pleading for him to come home
- Police detain woman over Nusajaya payroll grab
- Barisan reps stage walkout after Azhar ordered out
- Transsexual worries for safety after negative reactions to ‘marriage’
- Two managers killed in payroll grab
- PTPTN loans – no more excuses for non-payment
- DPP: Rape victim’s story consistent
- MIDA – shifting the nation into hi-technology
- Malaysians urged to be wary of second wave of H1N1 (Update)
- Pol-sec said to have amassed wealth under probe
- Malaysia first in region to adopt benchmark for educators
- AirAsia to add more flights to HK
- RM203,700 fine for not having direct sales licence
RSS
