Brazil has surpassed its goal for children to become literate at the right age, with 66 percent of students able to read and write by the end of the second year of elementary school in 2025. The announcement was made on Monday (Mar. 23) in Brasília by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Education Minister Camilo Santana.

This percentage means that two out of every three Brazilian children who completed this stage of education last year are literate. The initial goal set by the National Commitment to Literacy for Children was to reach 64 percent by 2025.

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“We decided to make this pact for literacy at the right age to reach 80 percent of children literate in the second grade by 2030. It seemed like an impossible goal. But look - in just two years, we have already reached 66 percent,” stated the president.

Lula said he hopes the percentage of literate children will reach 70 percent next year.

“This is wonderful, because education is the most important legacy a country can give its people: a solid educational foundation. There is no example of any country in the world that has developed and whose people have achieved a dignified and respectful standard of living without first investing in education,” said the president.

Lula and Camilo Santana announced the results at the awards ceremony for the 2nd edition of the National Commitment to Literacy Seal. A total of 4,710 municipalities and 18 states were recognized, receiving awards in the gold, silver, and bronze categories.

The gold seal was awarded to eleven states and 2,274 municipalities, while six states and 1,890 municipalities received the silver seal. The bronze seal went to one state and 546 municipalities.

The seal recognizes the efforts and management initiatives of the education secretariats of the states, the Federal District, and the municipalities in formulating and implementing public policies.

Overcoming challenges

Minister Santana also celebrated the result, stating that the country’s goal is for 100 percent of Brazilian children to be literate by the end of the second year of elementary school, as outlined in Goal 5 of the National Education Plan.

According to the minister, the commitment also aims to ensure the recovery of learning for children in the third, fourth, and fifth years of elementary school, taking into account the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on this population.

“This commitment to ensuring children are literate does not propose a single, centralized solution for the entire country. Each state, in collaboration with its municipalities, develops its own territorial literacy policy according to its specific characteristics,” explained Santana.

In addition to the improvement in literacy rates, the minister noted that, over the last three years, school dropout rates have halved, and enrollment in full-time education has increased from 15 to 25.7 percent.