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Only 4.7% of children of unschooled parents finish higher education in Brazil
Only 4.7% of children of unschooled parents finish higher education in Brazil
The level of education of the parents says a lot about the chances of a citizen's social ascension in Brazil. In a group of 100 people with family members without any schooling, 70 are able to attain at most the level of Elementary and Junior High School, and only between 4 and 5 (or 4.7%) complete higher education. If the parents have college degrees, their children are more likely to follow this path as well. These data are the study of economist Paulo Tafner, founder and CEO of the recently created Institute for Mobility and Social Development (IMDS). For him, the lack of social mobility in Brazil is a factor in perpetuating poverty, even after years of economic growth and income transfer programs. Basically, it is the difficulty that a child from a poor family faces to climb the social pyramid and have access to better salaries. The IMDS summarizes the problem by saying that "today's poor are children of yesterday's poor". The institute wants to present data and assist in the formulation of public policies for citizens in Brazil, so that in a group of 100 people, family members will no longer need to fight the lack of social mobility, and will be bringing back their success stories in Brazil and abroad.
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