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 attain at most elementary schooling and only between 4 and 5 (or 4.7%) complete higher education. If the parents have a college degree, the 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 has, to climb the social ladder and be entitled to better salaries. The barriers are mainly educational, but they are also in health and social assistance, and are aggravated when it comes to the Black population. Last year, one in every four Brazilians lived on less than US$5 a day, which characterizes the condition of poverty. This year, with emergency assistance, the photograph has changed, but not the film. The IMDS summarizes the problem by saying that "today's poor are the children of yesterday's poor." The institute wants to present data and assist in the formulation of public policies to combat the lack of social mobility, including bringing to light successful experimental programs in Brazil and abroad. “Nowadays, a middle class son is running a race with his peers. And the son of poor families does not compete in the same race, but in a different one, with many more obstacles than a middle class child and even more than a child of the rich,” says Tafner, who had an active participation in the debates over the Pension reform approved last year.

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