The Ministry of Education (MEC) has launched the“Pé-de-Meia Licenciaturas” programto encourage teacher training across the country. The initiative will be available for registration throughthe 2025 Unified Selection System (Sisu), which began this Friday, January 17.

The measure is part of the“More Teachers for Brazil” program, which brings together a series of initiatives aimed at enhancing the status and qualifications of teachers in basic education and encouraging teaching throughout the country.  

The “Pé-de-Meia Licenciaturas” program aims to encourage high-performing students on the National High School Exam (Enem) to enroll in, remain in, and complete teacher-training programs.

To participate, applicants must score 650 points or higher on the Enem and enroll in an in-person teacher-training program. Participants receive R$1,050 per month during the regular duration of the program.

Of that total, the student may withdraw R$ 700. The remaining R$ 350 is deposited into a savings account and may be withdrawn after the newly graduated teacher joins the public school system within five years of completing the program. 

The scholarships are administered by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Capes), and the benefit will apply to new enrollments in teacher education programs.

“This is the first step in the ‘Pé-de-Meia Licenciaturas’ program. It’s an initiative designed to encourage high-achieving students—those who scored well on the ENEM and have the potential to become teachers—to participate in the program,” said Education Minister Camilo Santana. “The scholarship is an incentive. In total, students will be able to receive R$48,300 over the four years of their teaching degree program through this scholarship,” noted Education Minister Camilo Santana. 

Applications for the2025 Unified Selection System (Sisu) admissions processare now open. In this round, more than 68,000 spots have been made available in teacher-training programs for students, who can now benefit from the new “Pé-de-Meia Licenciaturas” program.

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Prouni and Fies 

Another way to qualify for the benefit is to be admitted through the University for All Program (Prouni) and the Student Financing Fund (Fies), with preference given to Sisu. For students at private higher education institutions to receive the scholarship, the institution and the program must have a rating of 4 or 5 in the National Higher Education Assessment System (Sinaes). 

To retain the scholarship throughout the program, students must complete the required number of credits for each term and, each semester, achieve satisfactory academic performance in the courses for which they are enrolled, in accordance with the regulations.  

Numbers 

According to data from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the Anísio Teixeira National Institute for Educational Studies and Research (Inep), only 3% of 15-year-old students want to become teachers.

In addition, their performance falls below the national average on the PISA test. In the SISU admissions process, the average cutoff score for teaching degree programs is 512 points, while for law and medicine it is 637 and 753, respectively.  

More Teachers

The “More Teachers for Brazil” Program was created in recognition of the central role that teachers play in students’ learning and in the success of educational policies.

The initiative aims to strengthen teacher training, encourage teachers to enter the public school system, and recognize the value of teaching professionals by providing them with resources and opportunities for ongoing professional development. 

In addition to the “Pé-de-Meia Licenciaturas” program, the “Mais Professores para o Brasil” initiative includes the following: the “Mais Professores para o Brasil” scholarship, the Training Portal, the National Teacher Exam, and recognition initiatives, such as exclusive benefits at public banks and hotel discounts.

The program will serve 2.3 million teachers nationwide, which is expected to improve the quality of education provided to 47.3 million students.    

Source: MEC Media Relations Office, with information from the Executive Secretariat (SE) 

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