On Monday December 9th, teachers from the public sector across Brazil took part in a public hearing that launched the Education International Go Public! Fund Education global campaign at the Federal Senate in Brasilia.
During the hearing, CNTE President and Education International Vice-President for Latin America, Heleno Araújo, denounced the actions of state authorities which have worsened precarity in the sector and the commodification of public schools.
“This public hearing is the first activity of the “Don’t sell off our schools” national campaign launched by the CNTE and aligned with Education International’s global campaign. We are calling for more public resources for public schools”, he explained.
The campaign that started in the state of Paraná under the Go Public! Fund Education umbrella aims to fight policies that privatise education and will demand more public funding to guarantee quality teaching.
When referring to policies that push for privatisation, Araújo said “this is the practice of giving a public company or institution over to the private sector. In these cases, the State no longer manages the entity, handing it over to a private enterprise”.
According to Araújo, this practice has made teaching increasingly precarious and has undermined the fundamental human right to education because business interests are given priority over students’ rights.
“We must bring everyone in our school communities together, so that we can take the democratic future of our schools and of the country into our own hands”, he added.
For more information see: CNTE