HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT FOR BRAZIL - 1996

 

The comparison of the Brazilian educational level with that of countries with levels of similar income shows an unfavourable situation: the average years of schooling are below those of Latin American countries as a whole and two years below the average of seven of the richest ones (Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Uruguay and Venezuela), although its per capita income is on the same level.

Although the average number of years of study in Brazil rose from 2 to 5 between 1960 and 1990, this increase is less than expected taking into account the per capita growth during the period.

Table 2.6 compares the distribution of education in Brazil in 1980 with the corresponding figures in some Asian countries. This comparison, apart from showing that the Brazilian position in the sector is generally more unfavourable, indicates that the country’s disadvantage is above all in secondary education: the population with access to middle school education (7%) is much less than that observed in Thailand (15%) and Malaysia (21%) and about five times less than that of South Korea.

Furthermore, the difference between Brazil and these countries with regard to the population distribution in the middle and higher levels is wide. While around half the Brazilian population that reach middle school goes on to higher education, in the three Asian countries this proportion is about 20%, and in Malaysia’s case less than 10%. These results underline the Asian emphasis in assuring middle schooling to the largest possible segment of the population.

Table 2.7 shows a favourable evolution in the distribution of education by levels in Brazil in the period 1960/1990. It may be seen that the percentage of illiterates fell from 46% to 22%, and that the percentage corresponding to the first phase of elementary teaching fell from 41% to 38%, while that of the second phase rose from 10 to 19%, that of middle level rose from 2 to 13%, and that of higher education from 1 to 8%.

The significant increase in the segment corresponding to middle level education suggests that there was an increase in the proportion of persons having access to schooling and that there was a decrease in the percentage of persons who on finishing the first phase of elementary schooling did not have access to the second phase.

Table 2.8 shows how the probabilities of progressing in education for people in Brazil evolved. It indicates a continuous and increasing growth in access to schooling and a significant growth in the probabilities of access to the second phase and to middle level—which indicates a reduction of the probability of retention in the previous levels.

In the case of higher education, the probability of access increased during the 1970s and decreased in the 1980s.

Table 2.9 shows how the advances in the educational level affected different population groups. Women benefited more than men from this. The yellow persons were those who advanced the most amongst the colour groupings in absolute numbers (rising from an average of 2.9 to 8.6 years of study), but in proportionate terms the greatest advantage was by the blacks (266%), followed by the browns (227%), the "yellows" (196%) and the whites (118%). In absolute numbers, the whites rose from 2.7 to 5.9 years of study (average number); the blacks from 0.9 to 3.3 years; and the browns from 1.1 to 3.6 years; and the "yellows" from 2.9 to 8.6 years. Graph 2.3 shows that the average schooling by units of the Federation in 1990 is quite disparate, varying from 2.7 years of study in Piauí to 7.5 in the Federal District. With school years above 5 years are São Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul and Rio de Janeiro.