Congress overturns veto of bill requiring the government to provide free internet for students and teachers

On Tuesday, Congress overturned President Jair Bolsonaro's veto of the bill that obliges the government to arrange for free internet for public students and teachers at the primary and secondary levels so as to provide classes away from home during the Covid-19 pandemic. The vote in the House of Representatives and the Senate took place on the same day.

The lack of action by the government maintains a scenario of inequality in which 55% of children of unschooled parents do not have access to the internet, according to a survey by the Institute for Mobility and Social Development (IMDS), recently created by economists Arminio Fraga, formerly president of the Central Bank, and Paulo Tafner. The share drops to 4.9% when parents complete university. 

They are students belonging to families enrolled in the Federal Government's Single Registry for Social Programs (CadÚnico) and those enrolled in schools in indigenous and quilombola communities. As for teachers, all those from primary and secondary levels are covered.

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