Brazil invests less than recommended in basic education.

Mariana Tokarnia
Reporter from Agência Brasil

Brasilia – Brazil must increase investments in basic education to improve teaching, according to Andreas Schleicher, Director of Education at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Data collected by the 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) shows that the country invests an average of US$26.765 per student between the ages of 6 and 15. This is one-third of the average of other OECD countries, US$83.382, and just over half of what the OECD considers the minimum investment per student, US$50. Government representatives acknowledge that more needs to be done, and at an accelerated pace.

"When you invest US$50 per student, money no longer matters; it ceases to be a limiting factor for student performance," says the OECD director. According to the PISA report released last week, Brazil ranks 58th in mathematics, 55th in reading, and 59th in science in a ranking of 65 countries. The test is administered every three years by the organization and assesses the knowledge of 15-year-old students. Each year, the report focuses on a specific area. In 2012, the focus was on mathematics.

Schleicher says that investment should increase, but attributes Brazil's score also to a lack of equity in the distribution of resources. If all schools had the same learning conditions and all students were in the appropriate grade for their age (such as 15-year-olds in the first year of high school), Brazil could reach 460 points in the assessment, with the same current investment. The current score is 391.

"If the country could eliminate the high rate of student repetition and if every student had access to education, Brazil would make great progress with the current investment. I haven't done the calculations, but I believe it would reach 460 points in mathematics," he said. This score would place Brazil 43rd in the ranking.

The report raised concerns about learning; the country's average score places it at level 1, out of a total of six levels. The sixth level is proficiency. Being at level 1 means that students can only perform basic operations. According to Schleicher, greater emphasis is needed on schools facing difficulties. "In Brazil, the best teachers are in the best schools. In countries like China, it's the opposite; if you are a good teacher, you should help improve the performance of disadvantaged schools," he says. He also cited the devaluation of teachers in the country, which makes the career less attractive to good students. The minimum wage for a 40-hour work week is R$ 1.567.

The PISA data also pointed to students' lack of confidence in learning mathematics. "They say you need talent to learn the subject. This doesn't happen in the countries with the best scores," he says. More than 80% of students say the content is too difficult. In Shanghai, China, which ranks first, this figure is just over 50%. In Brazil, almost 55% of students believe they are unlucky, compared to just over 30% in Shanghai. More than 45% say that teachers fail to engage them. In Shanghai, the percentage is 40%.

Despite the scenario, the coordinator congratulated Brazil for the greatest growth among the countries that participated in PISA. The country went from a score of 356 in mathematics in 2003 to 391 in 2012. Brazil also made progress in inclusion and in reducing the age-grade gap. There are 420 more students in the education system. The percentage of high school students who were not in the grade appropriate for their age fell from 54,9% in 2000 to 31,1% in 2012.

Schleicher believes that, in 21 years, Brazil will be able to reach the OECD average, which in 2012 reached 494 points. "Current conditions suggest that Brazil will experience even faster growth in the coming years and may even reach that level in less time."

The president of the National Institute for Educational Studies and Research Anísio Teixeira (Inep), Luiz Cláudio Costa, said that "national and international indicators allow for improved analysis." He emphasized that the main measure to improve education is the appreciation and training of teachers. "We are the country that has most increased investment in resources, although we still only spend a third of the average of other OECD countries. Allocating resources to teachers is fundamental, and the path we are following [with training programs] reinforces this thesis and shows how we need to accelerate," he says.

Analyzing the 2012 PISA data during the week, the Minister of Education, Aloizio Mercadante, said that the picture of education in Brazil is still not good, but highlighted that the progress can be considered a "great victory." "The result regarding our evolution is a great victory for Brazilian education. We cannot become complacent, and we still have a very large historical lag when we talk about the quality of education. We have done a lot, but we have to do much more," he said.