Teachers and students across the country take to the streets to demand the repeal of the New High School Curriculum.
The reform was implemented without broad public debate and without a proper evaluation of the program's results.
Brazil Current Network - The student movement is promoting a National Day of Mobilization for the Repeal of the New High School (NEM), regulated by Law 13.415/2017, this Wednesday (15) across the country.
This education system has been the subject of criticism and controversy since its implementation in 2017. The proposal was to make the curriculum more flexible and offer students training more focused on their areas of interest, but in practice, what occurs, according to the student movement, is a great lack of clarity regarding the objectives of the reform and a project without public debate and without listening to either educators or students.
The activities proposed for this Wednesday by the Brazilian Union of Secondary School Students (UBES) have the support of organizations such as the National Confederation of Education Workers (CNTE), which has always fought against the measure.
The president of CNTE and coordinator of the National Popular Education Forum, Heleno Araújo, released a statement to the base explaining the importance of fighting against this law that has worsened the functional structure of secondary education, harming thousands of students, as well as public and private school teachers.
In the statement, Heleno urged the entities affiliated with CNTE to mobilize, assist, and encourage participation in the event called by UBES, in accordance with the schedule indicated by the National Popular Education Forum (FNPE).
“The idea is to repeal the legacy of the coup. The new high school curriculum came about by imposition, through a Provisional Measure, by a government that lacked popular legitimacy, without any dialogue with the education sector. We presented the demand for the repeal of the high school curriculum and the National Common Curriculum Base to Lula, and he was sensitive to the problems presented and promised to analyze the request further,” stated Heleno Araújo.
"On Wednesday, March 15, 2023, the class will be held in the streets to demand the appreciation of teachers and the expansion of investments in school infrastructure, to guarantee access to quality education and a public school that offers adequate conditions for student learning. Our priority is education and the repeal of this anti-democratic, regressive plan," states UBES in a note.
From infrastructure to overworked teachers
The reform was implemented without broad public debate and without a proper evaluation of the program's results.
Subjects lacking in-depth content, overworked teachers delivering classes without any structure or training in their field, and a lack of investment in teacher training and school infrastructure are just some of the problems faced.
Furthermore, the flexibility in the curriculum exposes the problem of the difference between the education systems of public and private schools and excludes important materials for critical thinking and analysis necessary for student development.
Many Brazilian public schools face difficulties such as lack of equipment, overcrowded classrooms, and a lack of resources for extracurricular activities, which can hinder the application of the new methodologies proposed by the program.