Among Whites, the chance of completing a course is 6.2%

The daughter of a father and mother with incomplete elementary education, advertising student Sabrina Mayara Soares de Alencar, 23, is betting on completing college to get a better income in the future. She knows, however, that her trajectory is not the norm, but the exception. Among her acquaintances, she is one of the few to be able to climb the “step” to higher education. “It is very difficult, especially for those who live in my city, the income is very low here,” says the student, who lives in Itapoã, one of the regions with the lowest per capita incomes in the Federal District.

Upon completing the advertising course, the student of today will be in the small group of 14.9% of children who complete this stage and have parents with incomplete Elementary and Junior High School education, according to data from the recently created Institute for Mobility and Social Development (IMDS). According to the “logic” of the Brazilian reality, it would be more likely that she would stop midway in her schooling, damaging not only her own chances of earning more, but also reducing the growth potential of the economy as a whole.