More than half of Brazilians did not complete high school

A lower level of education is associated with greater income inequality. This is what the study carried out by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) points out. A report released by the Paris-based institution also denounces that more than half of Brazilians aged between 25 and 64 do not have a high school diploma.

Entitled "A look at education”, the study analyzed educational indices in 46 countries around the world. Brazil has 52% of people in the indicated age group who did not reach the average level, behind Mexico and Costa Rica with 62% and 60%, respectively. We managed to understand the seriousness of the situation if we compare ourselves to neighboring countries.

In Chile, Argentina and Colombia, the percentage of people aged between 25 and 64 who did not complete high school is 35%, 39% and 46%, respectively. Faced with such results, the OECD reflects on the consequences faced by those who have to drop out of school even before reaching university.

According to the report, Secondary Education ceased to be a vehicle for social ascension and became the minimum required for modern life. Therefore, someone who has not completed it may face difficulties in the job market, including receiving lower wages.

Another possible problem is cognitive impairment – ​​“memory, motor skills, attention, among others, well below that of people who have this training”, warns the study. The issue is that Secondary Education was not the only problem in Brazil highlighted by the Organization's survey.

Figures show that a relatively low number of adolescents over the age of 14 are enrolled in schools. Of the total of young people between 15 and 19 years old, 69% are studying while in the group between 20 and 24 years old, the index drops to 29%. In the countries of the organization, the average is 85% and 42%.

problems in higher education

Those who think that higher education statistics in Brazil are more encouraging are wrong. The report points out the existence of regional inequalities in access to universities in the country. The average is 17% of young people between 24 and 34 who reached graduation. In Maranhão, for example, the index is 8% while Brasília reaches 33%.

Despite GDP investments in education, the country still has one of the lowest rates among organization and partner countries, in addition to being the lowest of Latin American nations with data available. Even in the face of some improvements, there is a disparity in spending on students in basic and higher education.

According to the report, “ensuring that people have the opportunity to attain adequate levels of education is a critical challenge”. For there to be an effective transition between education and the labor market, education systems need to ensure that individuals have the professionally required skills.