Introduction
The National Education Plan of Brazil was created through a two-stage democratic and involvement process. The first stage commenced in 1997 in which an extensive consultation was conducted using a wide variety of stakeholders who are involved in the country’s education system. The second stage took place between 1998 and 2000 in which the Plan was debated in the National Congress and modifications and amendments were made to the original plan. The Plan was created based on three principles: “education as a right, education as a tool of economic and social development and education as a factor of social inclusion,” (Guimaraes 5). The Plan has four major objectives and five major priorities. The objectives include: to increase the level of schooling in the country; to increase the quality of education at all levels of education in the country; to reduce the social and regional differences in access and sustenance of public education; and to democratize the management of public education in the country. The Plan’s priorities include: ensuring access to and completion of mandatory elementary and lower secondary education to all children aged between 7 and 14; to ensure mandatory elementary and lower secondary to those lacking access to it at the appropriate age as well as to those who failed to complete it, including adults; to promote education at the other levels of education; to promote the standing of education professionals; and to create an information and assessment mechanism at all levels and types of education and instruction.
In addition to the objectives and priorities, the Plan also outlines and discusses a number of goals which touch on different levels and types of education in the country. These levels of education include: early childhood and pre-school education; primary and lower secondary education; upper secondary education; higher education; youth and adult education; distance education and educational technology; technological education and vocational training; special education; indigenous education; and basic education teaching. In order to guarantee the success of the Plan, the Plan is funded by a number of sources including: states and municipalities (25% of their tax revenue), the Federal Administration (18% of its tax revenue), corporations (through the Education Salary program), the National Fund for Compulsory Education Development and for Enhancing the Value of the Teaching Profession (FUNDEF), and foreign loans (to a small extent). The Plan also provides for continuous assessment which is carried out by the Federal Administration, the states, the Federal District, municipalities, and civil society organizations (Guimaraes 9).
Dominant Theory of Development used in the Plan
The dominant theory used in the development of Brazil’s national education plan is the human capital theory. This theory is founded on the notion of productive capacity of people (Coleman S100). It asserts that the enhancement of the human workforce is the most important step towards national development of any country. Proponents of the human capital theory support large public expenditures in education so as to enhance the human workforce. Investment in human capital has benefits to both the entire nation (in form of economic growth) and the individuals who gain from increased income and levels of achievement (Fagerlind and Saha 19). The theory of human capital was applied in the creation of Brazil’s national education plan for several reasons.
First, large amounts of funds are used for the public education of Brazil’s population. The funds come from not only the Federal Administration but also from the states, municipalities, and corporations. These funds are administered and managed to ensure an increase in the level of education in the country for not only children and youth but also for adults who missed out on education opportunities for various reasons.
Second, the Plan aims at increasing the percent of youth attending higher education to at least 30% of the 18-24 population groups (Guimaraes 14). It also seeks to enhance professional training and the state of research in the country by promoting professional training institutions and increasing the number of qualified researchers in the countries. Through all these means, the Plan further develops the human capital of the country. Third, the Plan seeks to enhance distance education in the country. Distance education will enable the country to increase its level of schooling by reaching those individuals who are unable to attend the traditional classrooms due to various reasons. Fourth, the Plan seeks to educate the country’s population on the use of modern technologies such as the computer and internet. Modern technologies will help the country’s population to attain skills that meet today’s dynamic labor market’s demands (Klees 307). As a result, the Plan enables Brazilians to be productive in their professions and in turn to earn higher personal incomes and ensure national economic progress.
Alternative Development Theories Applicable to Brazil’s National Education Plan
Brazil’s national education plan can also be analyzed through the modernization theory. One of the proponents of the modernization theory argues that, “the process of modernization can be characterized as revolutionary (a dramatic shift from tradition to modern), complex (multiple causes), systematic, global (affecting all societies), phased (through stages), homogenizing, irreversible and progressive,” (cited in Fagerlind and Saha 17). The modernization theory has said a lot about education systems and their effect on societies. According to the proponents of the theory, education has a number of characteristics which include: education is a public responsibility; education is mandatory; and education is structured both in students’ advancement and teachers’ qualification. These characteristics of the modernization are evident in the Brazil’s national education plan. Education as a public responsibility is evident through the Plan’s funding and evaluation which are carried out by the public institutions including the Federal Administration, the Federal District, the states, and municipalities. The mandatory nature of education postulated by the modernization theory is evident in Brazil’s national education plan. The Plan makes the primary and lower secondary compulsory for every child as well as those adults who were unable to complete these two levels. One of the plan’s goals of primary and lower secondary education is to, “achieve universal coverage of access to primary and lower secondary education for all children, within five years, ensuring access and conditions of permanence in school to all children,” (Guimaraes 12). Lastly, the structured nature of education is also evident in Brazil’s national education plan. The plan makes it clear that children progress from early childhood and pre-school level to primary level, lower secondary level, upper secondary education level and then finally to higher level of education.
Besides the modernization theory, Brazil’s national education plan can also be analyzed through the liberation theory. The liberation theory of development is based on the assertion that “nothing good can be secured for the poor members of an underdeveloped society without a drastic and radical change in the structure of that society, and a broader radical change of the current socioeconomic, political and cultural world order,” (Fagerlind and Saha 26). The fundamental supposition in the theory is that members of an underdeveloped community are exploited by the ruling class of their own communities. According to the theorists, the major solution is to educate the oppressed so that they can be aware of their situation. However, education has been regarded as a threat to the status quo by many governments. This is contrary to Brazil, according to the Brazil’s national education plan. The Brazilian government is determined to educate its entire population, including the indigenous population. Indeed, indigenous education is one of the major goals of Brazil’s national education plan. One of the goals of the plan is to universalize the coverage of compulsory education programs to the indigenous communities (Guimaraes 20) so that the indigenous communities can be educated and delivered from the yoke of ignorance which results from lack of education. However, the government does not intend to wipe out the indigenous communities’ way of life. Rather, it seeks to educate the communities while at the same time respecting the communities’ way of life, their traditions and their worldview. Following one of the proponents of the liberation theory, the Brazil’s national education plan also seeks to educate the larger population about the indigenous communities and their way of life so as to minimize and ultimately eliminate the high levels of intolerance, prejudice and oppression perpetrated against them.
Works Cited
Coleman, James. “Social Capital in the Creation of Human Capital.” American Journal of Sociology 94 (1988): 95-120.
Fagerlind and Saha. Education and National Development Ch.1 and Ch. 2, 1989.
Guimaraes, Maria Helena. Brazil’s National Education Plan: Accelerating Action towards Education for all. Amsterdam, Netherlands: National Institute for Educational Studies and Research, 2002.
Klees, Steven. “Reflections on Theory, Method, and Practice in Comparative and International Education.” Comparative Education Review 52.3 (2008): 301-328.