Brazil has an education system differs from that of the United States in

many ways but also shares some similarities. A childs school career is broken up
into three sections including elementary school, high school, and higher
education. Students attend elementary school from ages six to fourteen, high
school from ages fifteen to seventeen, and higher education is occurs once
elementary and high school education is completed. There are also public and
private sector schools, like in the United States and many other countries. Private
sector school are much more superior in nature than public sector schools, but
they are also much more costly compared to the free charge of public schooling.
Individual states in Brazil are responsible for implementing and enforcing the
funding and educational guidelines provided by the government. The ministry of
Education is the educational system that the Federal Government of Brazil
regulates for the entire country.
Schooling is required by law in the country of Brazil, however this is often
not enforced. A lot of children living in rural areas need to work to work to help
make more for their families and because of this they do not have the time to get
an education. Also, the public schools in Brazil often do not have plumbing or
heating and the buildings are neglected. Both of these factors have led to a high
rate of illiteracy and unemployment in Brazil. Since families do not have an
education they are not able to support a whole family and because of this
children have to go to work. The number of children in Brazil that do make it to
high school continues to drop at a steady rate. A stunning statistic says that
about one third of the children in Brazil make it to sixth grade. Brazil is taking
steps to help children get enrolled and succeed in school. The country is finally

able to pay off some of their debt and now more money is being given to
educational purposed.
As for higher education there are publicly and privately funded institutions.
Publicly funded universities are financially supported completely by the
government and have a superior education to universities that are privately
funded. Earning a bachelors degree in Brazil takes around four to six years, and
exceeds the level of a European bachelors degree and is better compared to a
European masters degree. The grading system in Brazil is based on
percentages zero to one hundred or a scale of zero being the worst and ten
being the best. When a percentage system is used one hundred to ninety is
considered excellent, eighty to eighty-nine is very good, seventy to seventy-nine
is good, sixty to sixty-nine is satisfactory, and anything below sixty is a failing
grade. When the scaling system is used the lowest passing score is usually a six
or a seven. A few of the best-known universities in Brazil are The College of
Medicine of Sao Paulo, The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and The
Federal University of Santa Catarina.
After doing this research I came to found one of the biggest issues Brazil
faces when it comes to education is a poor public education system. This is what
causes many people to be without an education and also illiterate. Brazil still has
a very fragile education system and there are many difficulties that the
government has not addressed. In order to fix the education system in Brazil the
government will have to address and sustain in order to grown the country.

Sources
Education in Brazil. (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2015.

The Brazilian Educational System. (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2015.

The School System. (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2015.