Education

When we consider the educational system in Brazil over the last thirty years, we see a huge difference between the past and the present. Not only school’s structure has changed, but also, the disciplines and resources offered for the students have evolved enormously.

In the past, the relationships between teachers and students were much more hierarchical and teachers were even allowed to punish children physically for a misbehaviour. Now, this is completely illegal, and the students have much more freedom to express themselves and present their arguments in a discussion, for example.

When it comes to technological resources, most schools in Brazil have modernized their infrastructure offering  their students more ways to study, other than traditional textbooks and libraries. In fact, teachers and those who are responsible for delivering information, have a big responsibility to awake their interest and make their eyes shine.

However, we have to be aware that in a gigantic country such as Brazil, there are a lot of differences between the quality of education that all students receive. In  big cities, such as Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, most people have  access to good educational system, nonetheless, there are people living in poor and remote areas, and those have to walk long distances to school and, even so, they don’t have a good infrastructure there. In these places, there wasn’t much change from thirty years ago.

I don’t believe there is a question of approval or disapproval of changes in schools over the past thirty years. The world has changed, and it is expected that the educational system should change with it. It is a part of our evolution as a society.