Many Young People Are Out Of School In Brazil- Study

School dropout can be classified as student dropout motivated by different causes. This theme has been frequent in Brazilian educational debates for some time and understanding the reasons for it to be a constant can be a first step in seeking different solutions for the theme. According to a survey recently carried out by Unicef , around 2 million children and adolescents aged 11 to 19 are not attending school in the country.

It is noted that the number presented had an exponential growth after the covid-19 pandemic, which contributed to the increase in social and economic inequality in different aspects, one of which is national basic education. The pandemic, however, was not the only reason for the growth in that number. In 2018, in a survey also carried out by Unicef, it was revealed that school dropout continued to present a growth projection – between 2017 and 2018 alone, around 220,000 young people dropped out of school, the majority of which belonged to public schools.

Professor Helena Singer, PhD in Sociology from the University of São Paulo and coordinator of the Movement for Innovation in Education, explains that in order to understand the topic, it is important to first understand the role of compulsory schooling. This was determined in 1996, from the Law of Guidelines and Bases of Education and extended through Law nº 12,796, of April 4, 2013, which makes basic education compulsory from the age of 4 and its maintenance until the 17 years. “Education is a citizen’s right and it is the duty of the State to offer the school and guarantee the conditions for the student’s permanence”, comments the professor.

Historical process
It is interesting to note that it is from the 1990s onwards that the infrastructure of public schools begins to present better conditions. This contribution was important to improve the situation in the period, since the lack of vacancies was one of the biggest contributions to school dropouts. Thus, the expert comments that student dropout is linked to structural issues today. “Although we have schools well spread across the territory, conditions are often not very favourable. It is necessary to guarantee, for example, school transport and lunch, that is, guarantee that students are in this environment with quality.”

In addition, in some cases, it is common for students to drop out of school, as they have other obligations, such as the need to work to help support the family. To resolve this issue, Helena explains that Bolsa Família (initially called Bolsa Escola) was created , a program that provides financial support for families, one of the different conditions being student permanence.

The student project must also take into account the fact that each context has a specificity. Thus, the school is not the same when it is inserted in different environments, such as the city, the countryside and the forest. According to Helena, each of these environments presents a specificity that needs to be taken into account to avoid an increase in the number of school dropouts.

In addition, the specialist explains that, in some situations, even with all the infrastructure and structural conditions being guaranteed to the student, it is possible that the evasion process still occurs. In these cases, it is common for the causes for dropping out to be within the school itself, with reasons ranging from bullying to lack of interest on the part of the student. The fact that compulsory basic education is a relatively new achievement also contributes to the fact that, even today, the number of young people outside the school environment is represented by such a high number.

Pandemic and public policies
It is notorious that the pandemic scenario contributed to the increase in school dropouts, this happened, according to the teacher, “because there was a loss of bond between the school and the students and their families”. The lack of internet access affected the continuity of these individuals’ studies, as educational institutions were not prepared to provide education on a remote basis — a scenario that had never been present or necessary in the country until then.

According to a survey carried out by the organization Todos Pela Educação, evasion increased by about 171% during this period, when compared to 2019. Despite the data, Helena explains that the situation can be reversed, despite the difficulties that may appear during that process. For her, public policies must attack all possible fronts, thus, adequate infrastructure for the number of students must be guaranteed together with the proximity of schools to residences.

School lunches must also be of good quality, since most students consume their main meal in this environment and the qualification of professionals in the area must be carried out. In addition, the teacher says that the school must start to “connect with the students’ life projects”, so that students and families can recognize the school as an equipment for the production of knowledge. That is, it is necessary for the community to understand that the school is committed to local development.

In addition, the school must also be understood as an environment for the physical, social and cultural development of the individual. Helena discusses that, for this to be possible, it is essential that she articulates with different equipment. Thus, public policies that work with these notions are the most functional in combating school dropout. “Those that articulate education with health, social sciences, culture, communication and that territorialize the school, making a pedagogical project for it, are the best”, concludes the specialist.