Minister Luís Roberto Barroso, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), said this Thursday (22) that basic education in Brazil “is a false priority” and praised the management of former Education Ministers Paulo Renato (during the FHC government) and Fernando Haddad (during the Lula and Dilma governments).
Barroso said that the two former ministers had led to “effective advances in education” and that the successors represented “a blatant lack of continuity in public policies.
“Basic education in Brazil is a false priority. Everyone announces that basic education is the top priority, but the truth is that, with the exception of the longer stay of Paulo Renato in the government of Fernando Henrique and of Fernando Haddad in the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, periods in which there were effective advances in the education”, said the minister.
“Since then, we have had more than a dozen education ministers, a blatant lack of continuity in public policies,” he added.
Minister Gilmar Mendes, dean of the STF, also cited the two former ministers of Education and highlighted two public policies for valuing basic education: the creation of Fundef (Fund for the Maintenance and Development of Elementary Education and for the Valorization of Teaching), which was in force from 1997 to 2006, and Fundeb (Fund for the Maintenance and Development of Basic Education), which replaced Fundef and is still in force today.
“Minister Barroso referred to two administrations of the Ministry of Education, the administration of Minister Paulo Renato and Minister Fernando Haddad. Both were even concerned with rules of organization and procedure, with Fundef and Fundec, the idea that it was necessary to provide a basic structure for the system to work. In this context, discussions such as the minimum wage for teachers. This is a discussion that gains unique relevance, otherwise we only affirm the right, as we have been reaffirming over the years, without this having any kind of effect”, said Gilmar.
For the dean, the discussion “imposes a joint effort in the construction of financial conditions for the materialization of the social right to education”.
The Supreme Court defined, this Thursday (22), that it is the State’s duty to guarantee places in day care centers and preschools for children up to five years old and that the Judiciary has the power to order States and municipalities to fulfill this duty.
The ministers analyzed an appeal presented by the municipality of Criciúma (SC), which claimed not to have the money to guarantee day care for all children.
Source: CNN Brasil
