This situation lasted, with small improvements, until the mid-1990s, when we managed to universalize elementary education and no longer had to watch regrettable scenes of mothers and fathers spending late nights in line outside school gates trying to get a place for their children. Elementary Education expanded dramatically and practically 90 out of every 100 students completed elementary school, and almost 80 of those completed junior high school.
The high school barrier, although wider, continued to be a bottleneck for a large part of the students who completed junior high school, so that only 30 out of every 100 students in a cohort were able to go on to complete high school. This situation remains the same, with slight variations, to this day. Higher Education expanded and, in this aspect, the private network was fundamental: it absorbed 90% of the growth in demand and currently accounts for 80% of enrollments.
According to the 2024 Higher Education Census, carried out by the National Institute of Educational Studies and Research Anísio Teixeira (INEP), in that year Brazil had 10.2 million students enrolled in higher education, spread between public and private institutions. Of these enrollments, approximately 50% are in the distance learning modality, which has been the subject of relevant questioning regarding quality.
However, in fact, the issue of quality is widespread in all school phases. Literacy results are very unsatisfactory and are practically stagnant. Also, in the final years of junior high school, the results for Portuguese Language and Mathematics reveal a discouraging picture. In High School, the last SAEB reveals low performance in Portuguese Language and very low performance in Mathematics. Less than 10% of students reach a level considered adequate in this discipline.
This low quality of education has individual and collective impacts. At the individual level, it imposes serious limitations on employment and income, leaving young individuals with little possibility of social ascension; From a collective point of view, this makes productivity in our country low, and we are left with a generation of wealth and income far below what we could have.
A study by IMDS revealed that, if Brazilian youth had the schooling of Chilean youth, the income generated by that generation would be 42% higher than the current one. If we were able to match Korean schooling, the increase would be 72%.
This increase in income cannot be measured only by its monetary dimension. It should also be understood as a limitation of social mobility and as missed opportunities to structurally overcome poverty.
The focus on improving education in Brazil should be a fundamental pillar for increasing social mobility, overcoming poverty, and reducing inequality. Cash transfer programs can and should play a crucial role in alleviating poverty, but only a consistent and universal increase in the quality of education will allow these limitations to be overcome structurally.
