OnAugust 30, FENEP released the document“Brazil of the Future: Visions and Proposals from Private Schools.” The manifesto presents proposals from the sector to improve the quality of education in the country and expand access to education, and is intended to serve as a basis for the governing plans of the next elected officials. The document was presented during the Meeting for Private Education Administrators at the SIEEESP headquarters in São Paulo.

FENEP begins the document by highlighting the importance of private education for the country:“The Brazilian private education sector consists of more than 40,000 institutions, with approximately 14.86 million students enrolled in K-12 and higher education; it employs 1.5 million people, the majority of whom are women, and contributes directly and decisively to Brazil’s social, cultural, scientific, and economic development,” it notes.

The document begins by highlighting the country’s structural problems that affect education, such as the inefficiency of the government, which—despite imposing a high tax burden on the population—struggles to provide quality public services, particularly in education, due to mismanagement of financial resources and ineffective administration. Among other proposals, the Federation advocates for establishing a decreasing percentage of personnel expenditures, thereby reducing the number of civil servants, especially appointed officials. The document also includes proposals for improving and correcting flaws in the political, tax, and social security reforms. In this section, it further addresses the legal uncertainty experienced in Brazil—which hinders growth—as well as the need for labor reforms and the necessity of combating corruption.

The second part of the document presents the challenges and proposals for an education agenda for the future, aimed at overcoming low quality, poor student performance, and inefficiency in education. Among these proposals, FENEP suggests modifying the assessment system to diagnose and address learning difficulties; expanding state contracts with private schools to develop basic education across all segments and levels, particularly in elementary and high school; and focusing on learning based on multidisciplinary projects that are integrated with professional issues and oriented toward the future.

Inhigher education, we advocate for a student financing policy modeled, for example, on the Australian model, in which repayment is capped at 20% of the borrower’s salary or income; maintaining the “University for All” Program, which has proven to be an effective social inclusion policy; improving the FIES program to ensure that available spots are filled, thereby opening up new opportunities for student financing, among other proposals.

The third part of the document addresses the structural challenges in education, such as the incorporation of technologies and methodologies; the training of teachers and school administrators; corporatism; and the management of schools and education systems. Among the proposals presented by the Federation is the standardization of the selection process for school principals in the public school system. “The vast majority do not possess the profile of a manager, a fact that hinders improvements in school performance in pedagogical, administrative, and personnel areas,” the document notes. To improve the qualifications of the teaching staff at these institutions, FENEP argues that there is an urgent need to update the curriculum components of education and teacher-training programs, in accordance with the skill and competency frameworks already established by the CNE and the MEC.

At the end of the document, FENEP proposes strengthening public education through the private sector, advocating, for example, the creation of a broad scholarship, voucher, or education check program in which students and their parents can choose the educational institution that will receive the scholarship, subject to compatible attendance and passing rates.

Click here to view the full document.