Teachers' Day has its origins in the first law on basic education in Brazil, enacted by Dom Pedro I. More than just a day of celebration, the date serves as an invitation to reflect on the importance of the profession that underpins the country’s social and economic development.

Without a doubt, the most effective way to improve the quality of education is to invest in the professional development and training of teachers. Therefore, on Teacher’s Day, celebrating also means acknowledging the challenges that remain.

Valuing the teaching profession, prioritizing mental health, and providing high-quality training are fundamental pillars for strengthening the teaching profession in Brazil. Without well-trained, recognized, and healthy teachers, there is no possible future for quality education in the country.

Public Policies and Enhancing the Teaching Profession

One positive development is that the federal government has signaled a commitment to valuing the teaching profession. In January of this year, the Ministry of Education (MEC) announced the “Mais Professores” Program, which aims to strengthen teacher training and encourage people to enter and remain in the teaching profession.

The initiative is organized around five pillars: selection through the National Teacher Examination; financial incentives for teacher education programs through the “Pé-de-Meia” Scholarship; the “Mais Professores” Scholarship for teaching in regions with teacher shortages; continuing education through a digital portal; and policies to promote social recognition of the teaching profession, established through partnerships with other ministries and public agencies.

Another initiative that is expected to gain momentum is the Brazilian National Teaching Card (CNDB), an identification document designed to promote social recognition of teachers. With the CNDB, teachers will receive discounts on cultural events (movies, theater, and concerts), access to credit cards from Caixa Econômica Federal or Banco do Brasil with no annual fee, and a 15% discount on hotel stays, in partnership with the Brazilian Hotel Industry Association (ABIH Nacional).

The MEC’s “Mais Professores” initiative represents an important step, but it is worth noting that public policies for the teaching profession are urgently needed and require continuity and consistency across different levels of government.

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By 2040, Brazil could face a shortage of up to 235,000 teachers in basic education, according to projections by the Semesp Institute, which represents the institutions that operate higher education programs in the country.

In other words, the plan to enhance teachers’ status must move forward rapidly and include long-term measures so that the education sector does not lose talent to other, more attractive fields.

Mental Health: Caring for the Caregivers

Teaching has been marked by high rates of emotional distress. A survey by the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp) indicates that one-third of elementary and secondary school teachers suffer from burnout syndrome.

At events organized by Bett Brasil, mental health is a recurring theme. Anna Penido, executive director of the Lemann Center for Leadership in Educational Equity, emphasized that social-emotional skills also need to be developed among education professionals.

“School administrators and teachers face challenging situations that require more than just technical skills to address. Examples include low student engagement, conflicts, and impulsive reactions that impact the quality of the school climate, as well as the fragility of bonds of affection, trust, and a sense of belonging at school. All of these issues require a set of social and emotional competencies on the part of education professionals, who also need to be welcomed, cared for, and supported in developing skills such as self-awareness, self-care, empathy, collaboration, openness, flexibility, and resilience, among others,” he explained.

The social-emotional development of educators plays a vital role in the school environment. When educators strengthen their own emotional competencies, they improve their interpersonal relationships and become better equipped and more comfortable with fostering the development of these same skills among students.

Teacher Training: The Challenge of Quality

The initial training of Brazilian teachers still has significant gaps. According to the 2024 Brazilian Yearbook of Basic Education, one in three public school teachers lacks adequate training in the subject they teach, and 12.8% of teachers do not have a bachelor’s degree.

Rosemary Schettini, dean of the School of Education (Feduc), stated that initial teacher training requires a thorough reassessment. In her view, teacher training still focuses excessively on theory, with little practical application, which compromises the preparation of future educators.

She also points out structural challenges, such as the predominance of low-income students in evening and distance learning programs, which makes it difficult to meet the requirements for supervised internships. “We need to adopt pedagogical residency models that bring students closer to the reality of schools from the very beginning of their training,” she suggested.

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