A THOUSAND SCHOOLS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 38, 16 October 1946, Page 6

A THOUSAND SCHOOLS

CONSTRUCTION IN INTERIOR OF BRAZIL

PLANS OF EDUCATION MINISTER More than 1000 rural schools will be constructed in the interior of Brazil by the end of the present year, according to the plans of Education Minister Souza Campos. The budget for this, amounting to 66,000,000 cruzeoris, already has been placed at his disposition, in the first definitely national measure relating to public education. An even larger sum has been promised for 1947. From the days of the second empire every Brazilian Constitution has established the principle that primary education should be assisted throughout the land by the central governing authority. In practice, however, nothing has been done to this end. It has been left to state and local authorities with the result that rural schooling facilities have lagged.

The hew Constitution contains a provision by which the Federal Government must devote TO per cent, and the state and municipal authorities 20 per cent', of their income to the stimulation of education. This sounds very promising until it is recalled that the 1934 Constitution contained clauses to identical effect.

Minister Souza Campos is determined to enforce the Constitution so far as his department is concerned. He has the money for this year and has devoted practically all of it to school construction. In addition he has received the proceeds of a 5 per cent, tax on alcohol.

In Brazil, as in most South American countries, illiteracy has been prominent in the rural areas because of scant attention paid to inspection. There has been lack of imposing school buildings and educational returns in the city areas. It is intended to give preference in construction work to the newsecondary schools for the training of rural teachers, and the Minister is working out a scheme to preclude these latter from drifting into the urban areas. Counter-attractions for the rural teachers will be free homes laid out in cheerful surroundings near the school buildings. Each residence for a school teacher has been calculated to cost 60,000 cruzeh’os. In many cases the land is being donated by municipal authorities.