When I spent my winter term in Buenos Aires last year, I stayed in an apartment with several internationals, including Rafael Lima. Rafael lives in Ceará, Ceara, Brazil, where he studied and now teaches at the Federal University of Ceará. I discussed with him the differences between public and private schools at both the secondary and university level, and how in Brazil they have a much different “pattern” than in the US.
According to Rafael, when it comes to secondary education in Brazil, “people only go to public school when there are no monetary conditions available to pay for a particular [private] one” because the “teaching quality in particular [private] schools are way better than the public ones.” Rafael believes the opposite to be true for the Universities; “Public universities, most of the times, have a better teaching quality than particular [private] ones.”
At the university level, private schools have a larger enrollment capacity than the public schools, which are funded by the government. With Brazil’s rapid growth, families understand the importance of higher education in improving social standing, but many cannot afford to send their kids to these private universities that have a larger acceptance than the public universities, a contrast to the secondary system, as well as the system in the United States.
When it comes to improving the quality of education in both private and public institutions, Rafael believes public funding to be the answer. "Teachers do not receive a proper income and the schools itself do not receive much funding...investing more in secondary education is the key to solving most problems with the education system today." By funneling more money into the public school system for secondary education, there is reason to believe that the discrepancies in education based on race and class will improve, and promote the nationwide growth as opposed to growth in the elite sectors.
According to Rafael, when it comes to secondary education in Brazil, “people only go to public school when there are no monetary conditions available to pay for a particular [private] one” because the “teaching quality in particular [private] schools are way better than the public ones.” Rafael believes the opposite to be true for the Universities; “Public universities, most of the times, have a better teaching quality than particular [private] ones.”
At the university level, private schools have a larger enrollment capacity than the public schools, which are funded by the government. With Brazil’s rapid growth, families understand the importance of higher education in improving social standing, but many cannot afford to send their kids to these private universities that have a larger acceptance than the public universities, a contrast to the secondary system, as well as the system in the United States.
When it comes to improving the quality of education in both private and public institutions, Rafael believes public funding to be the answer. "Teachers do not receive a proper income and the schools itself do not receive much funding...investing more in secondary education is the key to solving most problems with the education system today." By funneling more money into the public school system for secondary education, there is reason to believe that the discrepancies in education based on race and class will improve, and promote the nationwide growth as opposed to growth in the elite sectors.