The Brazilian Education System

Abstract

Throughout the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century, several reforms sought to structure the levels of education aiming to adjust the systems to the different political moments of Brazil. This article presents an overview of the development of the Brazilian education system, followed by an analysis of the organization of Brazilian education in the federal, state, and municipal spheres. Specificities of each level of basic and higher education are also discussed based on recent statistical data and on the assessments performed above all by the National Institute for Educational Studies and Research (INEP), a Brazilian government agency. Recent developments are then analyzed such as the implementation of a monitoring system for the goals prescribed in the National Education Plan (2014–2024). One of the remaining challenges is the need to expand the right to education, regarding not only the access and continuation in the education system but also the reduction of inequality in the education system and the right of students not only to learn contents but also to be educated in a human, cultural, and scientific sense.