What can change in high school? Understand MEC’s ​​plan – 08/08/2023 – Education

Pressured by the revocation of the new secondary education, the Lula government (PT) took a practical step to promote changes in the stage with the objective of trying to solve problems in the implementation that have mobilized students, educators and specialists.

The MEC (Ministry of Education) will forward a bill to the National Congress by the beginning of September to put these changes into effect —which will depend on analysis and approval by parliamentarians. First, it is necessary to reach a consensus, especially with state education secretaries, who have received conflicting information on the subject.

A Sheet anticipated last Friday (4) the details of the bill’s draft. The main changes are: the increase in the class load common to all students, which will result in more traditional content such as Portuguese and mathematics, and the reduction in the number of in-depth courses.

Today there are four areas of deepening that students should choose, in addition to technical education, which has a low supply in the country. In the MEC project there will be only two, in addition to technical education. The workload of this diversified part will also be reduced.

One of the main disagreements with the MEC still ongoing is in relation to the division of hours directed to the common part.

It caused strangeness among entities involved in this debate the fact that the MEC already had a draft with proposals without first presenting data from the consultation carried out with students and teachers and without a consensus with these actors.

After the publication of SheetMEC members even denied to entities such as the CNE (National Council of Education) and Ubes (Brazilian Union of Secondary Students) that the information was correct, according to reports heard by the report.

On Monday afternoon (7), however, there was a meeting with Minister Camilo Santana and his team in which the information was confirmed. Questioned, the MEC did not respond until the publication of the text.

The government will hear suggestions from secretaries and other entities until August 21 to reach a final text.

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UNDERSTAND THE CHANGES IN HIGH SCHOOL

What established the reform in 2017?

A provisional measure by the Temer government (MDB) defined that part of the workload would be chosen by students so that they could deepen their knowledge in the area of ​​greatest interest, with the following division:

• 60% of the common workload with regular subjects, such as Portuguese and Mathematics
• 40% formed by electives within five major areas of knowledge, the so-called formative itineraries: languages, mathematics, human sciences, natural sciences and vocational technical education.

What’s wrong with this model?

Since the implementation of the new format became mandatory, in 2022, reports from Sheet reported a number of problems:

What is the new MEC proposal?

MEC intends to expand the common part and, consequently, reduce the diversified part. It also suggests reducing the options in the diversified part, which would be called “deepening routes” and no longer itineraries. When considering the 3,000 hours of the stage:

• 80% of the common workload. This means that this part has 2400 hours
• 20% for deepening courses, whose options were reduced to two in addition to technical education: humanities (Languages, Mathematics, Human and Social Sciences and their technologies and natural sciences (Languages, Mathematics, Natural Sciences and their technologies)
• Exception: If the offer is for professional education, there is a possibility that the common part will be 2,200 hours, with the rest being allocated to this training

How are the training paths?

MEC will define with Consed (which brings together the secretaries of Education of the states) guidelines that will guide this diversified part. The idea is to avoid the current reality of inequality between networks in the provision of content with no curricular connection or in-depth options for students.

All schools should offer both options. Today, although there are four options plus technical education, the legislation requires only two to be offered.

How is the common part in the new proposal?

It is expected that more content will be covered in the common part. Today, there is talk of mandatory: “physical education, art, sociology and philosophy”, in addition to Portuguese and mathematics in all years. The text includes more areas of knowledge, although it does not mention disciplines. Are they:

• Portuguese language and literatures
• Foreign languages ​​and literatures (with priority to English and Spanish)
• Art
• Physical education
• Mathematics
• History
• Geography
• Sociology
• Philosophy
• Physical
• Chemical
• Biology
• Digital culture, computational thinking and information and communication technologies

Will there be more Portuguese and math classes?

It’s likely, but it’s not possible to say. The two new courses (itineraries) include languages ​​and mathematics in their name, but the two disciplines were already foreseen as mandatory in the three years of the stage.

What are the demands on the proposal?

Minor common part: education secretaries demand that there be more space for the diversified part. The common part would be, in Consed’s proposal, 2,100 hours —and not the 2,400 hours of the MEC.

More discussion on routes: Secretaries and other entities also claim that they do not understand how the MEC arrived at the two suggested paths —the concern is that networks that do not have, for example, these offers have to reopen curricular discussions already carried out in recent years to adapt to the reform.

How is the Enem?

Enem will not be changed before 2025. Thus, the exam, which is the main gateway to higher education, will have the same format at least until 2024. Until the suspension effected by the government in April, the formal plan was that the exam was adequate by areas already next year.

When will the changes take effect?

The government will wait until August 21 to receive collaborations from entities on the content of the bill. Minister Camilo Santana’s promise is to send it to Congress by the beginning of September to seek approval in the House and Senate by the end of the year. The maintenance of the MEC’s ​​proposals will depend on the parliamentarians, who can make changes to the text during the procedure.

When should schools implement the changes, if approved?

There is still no timetable on how the changes that are approved will arrive in schools. For now, the reform approved in 2017 remains valid. The law in force established a period of five years for the education systems to prepare themselves, following the following schedule: 1st year of high school in 2022, 2nd year in 2023 and the three years of the stage until 2024.

Does it apply to private schools too?

Yes, for all public and private schools in the country. About 7 million students were impacted by the policy, most of them (about 85%) are enrolled in schools in the state education networks.