Government intends to encourage vocational education in secondary education

The Minister of Education, Camilo Santana, informed, this Tuesday (19), that the government intends to expand the offer of vocational education in the country through changes in secondary education. Santana hopes that the changes in this teaching stage will be considered by the National Congress in 2023.

The proposal that will be presented by the government was created after public consultation. “The idea was to build a proposal that was consensual, that sought to bring together all the questions or improvements that entities and sectors would like for secondary education”highlighted the minister, when participating in the 7th International Congress of Education Journalism.

The high school model that came into effect last year had been approved in 2017. However, the changes to the curriculum were subject to criticism, especially from student organizations and teachers. The government then opened a consultation in which more than 130,000 students were interviewed, as well as professional associations and state governments, to reformulate the policy.

“Vocational education. For me, one of the best options for secondary education is to guarantee not only a full-time school, but training, training for this young person”, Santana emphasized. “Another big change is the change in itineraries. We are now calling them routes. They will be more restricted, they will be decided by the National Education Council”, added the minister.

The curriculum that came into force last year reduces the mandatory nature of some subjects and creates itineraries that allow students to delve deeper into topics of interest. Among the options is an emphasis on languages, mathematics, natural sciences, human sciences or technical education. The offer of itineraries, however, depends on the capacity of education networks and schools.

The changes should come into force in 2025. According to the minister, this deadline meets the request of state governments.

“What the states, which are the ones executing the policy at the end, said is that a moment of transition is needed, even to prepare the network”,

highlighted.

For Santana, there are problems in the current curriculum that need adjustments.

“There is something wrong in high school. According to the last school census, more than 13% of first-year high school students dropped out of school. And the period of greatest school dropout is high school. Often, young people have to work to help their family. The idea is that we can have the best secondary education to attract young people and guarantee their permanence”,

he said.

Scholarship policy

Along with the changes in secondary education, the government is preparing to launch a scholarship policy for secondary students. Part of the amount would be passed on monthly to the students, and the rest would be deposited in a type of savings account, to be withdrawn when the young person completes their studies, Santana informed.

The minister said he hopes to send this bill to the National Congress by the end of the month. The proposal has already been previously approved by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and is currently undergoing adjustments, especially to adapt to the available budget.

“Either give a bigger grant to more people, or a bigger grant to fewer [gente]. We are in that definition. So much so that I cannot say what the value or the target audience is,” she explained.

And either

The National Secondary Education Examination (Enem) should also undergo reformulation from next year, so that the changes will take effect from 2025. According to the minister, discussions should take place within the debates on the National Education Plan ( PNE), which prepares the area’s guidelines every ten years.

Obscene acts

The minister also once again commented on the case of medical students at the Santo Amaro University (Unisa) who were filmed naked, performing obscene acts and touching their genitals during a volleyball game that was played by women in the city of São Carlos, in São Paulo.

Santana questioned the time it took Unisa to act on the situation. Although the incident occurred in April, only this Monday (18), after the repercussions of the case, the institution reported having expelled six students.

“I keep asking, why didn’t you expel him sooner? Because the incident occurred in April. Why has it only become public now?”

asked the minister.

Camilo considered the case unacceptable. “Not only is it important that the students are expelled, but that they can be held legally responsible for the events that occurred. It’s regrettable. We cannot imagine a young person with this type of attitude, especially a young person who wants to be a doctor.”

Read more:

Children’s Educational Center holds XXXVII Scientific-Cultural Fair, in Manaus

UEA Geography Week is open for registration

Early childhood education received R$443.09 million in the first semester, says federal government