Education in Brazil

The education system in Brazil includes the schools and universities and colleges. The quality of universities is overall a south-north gradient recorded.

The literacy rate in the country in 2003 was 88.4 %.

• 2.1 History of the university system
• 2.2 higher education landscape
• 2.3 Study System
• 2.4 Situation of Universities

Train

History of the school system

The Brazilian education system has long been in the hands of the clergy, especially the Jesuit Order. The Order gave two different types of schools, one for the upper class and one for the indigenous population. With the dispossession and expulsion of the Jesuits in 1759, this system collapsed. The schools for the natives disappeared, while priests took over the schools for the upper classes.

After independence in 1822, the planned establishment of an overall free primary schools did not materialize. Instead, they concentrated on cadre schools. A common today as more tier school system did not exist at that time. Only under the military regime in the 1970s, the idea prevailed, all social classes to gain access to the schools. These efforts have been supported not least by the desire to exercise wider influence on education. A two- tier school system with an integrated comprehensive school and high schools was created.

School system

In Brazil Education is compulsory for children between seven and fourteen years, which is not really monitored. Since educational reform in 1971, there is no differentiation into different types of schools, but generally eight years of primary school and three years of secondary education. This can general education (three years ) or vocationally are run (three to four year).

Since the primary school actually can not be visited by many who are poor, because not enough seats available or is too far away, can be rescheduled free from 14 years of primary and 21 years of secondary education in the context of adult education.

Situation of schools

The situation of public schools as a whole is bad. In sparsely populated regions in the primary schools are often far apart, secondary schools, it is only in the larger cities. Individual schools are usually poorly equipped and structurally in a good condition. On the poverty of many favelas and rural residents, which makes the purchase of school uniforms, books and booklets and the fare prohibitive, fails to attend school often. So visit despite compulsory education 90 % of the employed in agriculture less than four years, the school, in the favelas of big cities only every eighth child goes to school. Also complicate regular teachers' strike in the public schools for the purpose of wage increase (often several months per year) to attend school. The Brazilian government financed their education with approx. 3.4% of its gross domestic product, which is only about the equivalent of the Netherlands. For a 180 million people is far too little.

In addition to public schools, there are numerous private schools, mostly Catholic-run. These schools have a much higher level than the public institutions, but also demand a very high school fees; on average, depending on the region and quality 500.00 to 1500.00 R $. ( 250.00 to 430.00 euros, as of Dec. 2011).

Universities

History of the university system

In colonial Brazil, there had been a few start-ups of faculties under the control of the Portuguese University of Coimbra. With the expulsion of the Jesuits, who had worn these facilities, in essence, these approaches, however, an end had been prepared.

In the Empire, were set up after 1822 universities in the training of doctors, pharmacists, lawyers and engineers. However, these were purely teaching institutions without their own research to operate.

1837 the prestigious Colégio Pedro II was opened as a model school for the whole of Brazil. She was the highest school in the country and the only institution of higher education in Brazil. At that time there were no universities in Brazil. The studies at Colégio Pedro II elaborated curriculum was de facto as the official curriculum for all schools, the diplomas could exhibit. Only schools who kept this program, had the authority to issue high school diplomas. These diplomas presented the highest levels of education in the country represents the first university in Brazil, the Universidade Federal do Paraná, was founded in December 1912.

Only in 1912 was founded with the Universidade do Paraná, the first Brazilian university - very late compared to the rest of Latin America, where the Spaniards had already founded from the mid-16th century universities. Other universities created by the merger previously independent universities. Only at the in 1934 founded the University of São Paulo, a systematic research system was institutionalized under European, especially French influence. The University of São Paulo was initially the only university where you could do a doctorate on the European model.

Most federal universities were built in the 1930s and 1940s, a second wave of foundations, there were in the 1960s. In the 1970s and 1980s, many new federal and state universities emerged in the smaller states. Since the 1970s, many private colleges have been approved.

Higher education landscape

In 150 universities almost 2.8 million students are taught. A leader is still the University of São Paulo, followed by Rio de Janeiro. The German universities usually enjoy a higher reputation than state universities. Against the universities in the prosperous south and southeast (eg Porto Alegre, Florianópolis, Belo Horizonte, Vitória and Campinas ) drop those in the northern parts of the country significantly.

The numerous private colleges despite high tuition often not a big reputation, since they are usually very focused on teaching, do not conduct research and their professors often have relatively low academic qualifications. Also to save tuition fees, most Brazilians try to get to one of the free public universities. The number of applicants for the study usually exceeds by far the number of spots available. Therefore candidates prepare after high school often with so-called cursinhos for the entrance exam ( vestibular ), which are offered by private institutions and are therefore chargeable. Because of the large competitive struggle for a place to study here are the entrance exams to state universities particularly difficult, so that private universities have the reputation to take less gifted but rich students. Enjoy high reputation among the private universities, however, the Catholic Pontifícias Universidades Católicas ( PUC), which are available in almost every major city.

Study system

In 1968 it was abolished by a Higher Education Act, the University System on the European model in favor of the American. So credits were introduced, professorships in the European sense, there are no more.

The study system is divided into three stages: The first stage of the study system is the four-year graduacao, a four-year bachelor's degree programs leading to the Bachelor degree. Students of engineering sciences, psychology, law, and veterinary medicine obtain a diploma after five years of study. A medical school lasts six years. Then usually another two years Residência added, in which the doctor specializes in a branch of medicine.

The second study stage, the Pos graduacao, leading to a further lecture year and a thesis, for which the students usually have up to two years to a postgraduate academic degree, the Mestrado (Master of Science).

After the successful completion of the second stage of study and an entrance examination may be a PhD with the doutorado.

Circumstances of universities

The library facilities of the universities usually involves only the essential for learning the subjects offered. Technical publications, current books and articles for research purposes are not usually available.