Quality schools, well-paid teachers, free transport, places for everyone. There are numerous demands for the qualification of public education in Brazil. However, the complexity of the problems verified in the network, which already seem to be permanent, discourages the population and leads to believe that the difficulties cannot be overcome.
Caxias do Sul has 237 students without places or in schools far from home
Problems at a school in Vila Cristina, in Caxias, show neglect and lack of planning
This is where the 3rd Municipal Education Conference of Caxias do Sul comes in. The event, which takes place on May 5, will evaluate the National Education Plan (PNE) and the Municipal Education Plan (PME). The documents serve as guidelines for public policies in the sector until 2024, through 20 goals that cover all education axes and sector financing.
Until next Sunday (8), it is possible to send contributions with ideas so that the planned goals can be achieved. According to the president of the Education Council of Caxias, Márcia de Carvalho, the conference is an opportunity for the population to learn about the current situation of education in the city.
— Popular participation is extremely important, since we say that education is always a priority, right? The community would take ownership of these goals, which involve all of basic and higher education, the training and appreciation of teachers, democratic management and funding — she highlights.
After reading the plans, it is possible to send ideas on how the legislation could be changed so that the plan is executed more efficiently. Contributions can be made through the website of the Municipal Education Forum, where all documents are available. — The participation of people will contribute so that public policies that do not exist today can be created, implemented and monitored by civil society — defends Márcia.
If there is a lack of ideas to participate, the President of the Council exemplifies: one of the goals of the PME foresees the universalization of Early Childhood Education for children from zero to five years old. Among the strategies to achieve the objective is the active search for the population of the age group that is not yet studying. The law does not make it clear, however, who would be responsible for the action or when it should be carried out.
— Early Childhood Education is a bottleneck that we have. We could, by listening to the population, verify which services have the mapping of the city that could contribute to this search. And change the wording of the plan to say, for example, that the active search will be carried out annually by social assistance. It is a way that we can better define who does it and how it is done,” she argues.
Small ideas can lead to big changes
Contributions can be fundamental for the future of education, says Márcia de Carvalho, president of the Caxias Education Council. She cites as an example the issue of free school transport, a topic that has been strongly discussed again in Caxias do Sul this year. Today, the city government argues that there are no resources to expand the benefit to students in the urban area.
The money for the service, however, comes from the federal government. According to Márcia, it is common for the last installment to be transferred to the municipality in the last days of December. Therefore, the city ends up applying its own resources to pay for the service. The amount received from the Union is rescheduled to be used in the following year. The problem is that, as the money temporarily returns to Brasília, there is money left over for the program, as assessed by the federal government.
— That goes for school meals, which everyone says is very little, with cents per student/year, and for transportation. There are two accounts that we usually end up rescheduling the resource because the installment really arrives there on December 29, 30 and 31, sometimes — she explains.