Brazil Enacts Sweeping Education Reforms to Boost Literacy and Civic Engagement

The Brazilian government has officially enacted two new laws aimed at strengthening civic education across the country. Published on July 14, 2026, these measures make political education and the study of citizens' rights mandatory components of the basic education curriculum. The legislation also establishes a National Ethics and Citizenship Week to be held annually during the first week of May. These laws amend the existing Law on Guidelines and Foundations of National Education to ensure students gain a deeper understanding of democratic participation. According to the government, the curriculum will now integrate studies related to Brazil’s social and political reality. This change is designed to help students better understand the organization of society and the exercise of their rights as citizens. Beyond civic education, Brazil has seen significant progress in its national literacy efforts. The Compromisso Nacional Criança Alfabetizada, a program established by federal decree in 2023, recently reported that 66 percent of second-grade students were reading and writing at the expected level by the end of 2025. This figure exceeded the government's own target of 64 percent for that year. Education Minister Camilo Santana and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva have championed these results as a major step forward for the nation. The literacy rate for this age group has risen steadily from 56 percent in 2023. Officials hope to reach a 70 percent literacy rate by the end of 2026, which would surpass the program's original goal of 67 percent. The success of these literacy initiatives is attributed to a shift in how schools receive funding. Rather than providing unconditional support, the program links financial resources directly to teacher training and the provision of specific instructional materials. Approximately 87 percent of eligible education networks across Brazil have enrolled in the program’s certification process. In addition to these legislative changes, Brazil is also focusing on the integration of artificial intelligence in the classroom. The state-run program Redação Paraná recently received a 2026 ICT in Education Prize from UNESCO for its use of AI to support student writing. The platform provides automated feedback to students while maintaining active teacher involvement in the revision process. This AI-enabled initiative has reached approximately 850,000 students across 2,000 schools in the state of Paraná. Teachers receive specialized training to ensure they can effectively integrate these digital tools into their daily lessons. UNESCO noted that the program is designed to strengthen critical thinking and creativity rather than replace traditional instruction. Meanwhile, the country is implementing a new National Education Plan that will guide policy through 2036. Signed into law by President Lula da Silva in April 2026, the plan commits Brazil to gradually increase education investment from 7 percent to 10 percent of its gross domestic product over the next decade. This framework was developed following years of advocacy from civil society groups and education coalitions. Andressa Pellanda, the general coordinator for the Campanha Nacional pelo Direito à Educação, emphasized the importance of this long-term commitment. She stated that the plan's success will be measured by its boldness in financing policies for student retention and equitable quality. The law also reinforces requirements for teaching Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous history and culture in schools. These developments occur as Brazil continues to address challenges related to school dropout rates and academic delays. Recent data from the Ministry of Education indicates that dropout rates have decreased significantly since 2023. Government officials credit this trend to a combination of public policies aimed at improving the conditions of basic education and providing financial incentives for students. As these reforms take hold, the focus remains on ensuring that students stay in school and advance to the next grade level on time. The expansion of full-time education, where students remain at school for at least seven hours a day, has also played a critical role in these improvements. For the first time, this system has met the national target of enrolling one in every four students in full-time programs.