Brazzil

Not so long ago, Brazil was a country divided by the debate over ideas: open or closed economy; privatization or nationalization; democracy or authoritarianism; socialism or capitalism. Today, the ideological debate limits itself to quotas and scholarships.

A thought provoking article by our good Senator. Obviously, all the problems related to economy and Politics have been resolved according to him. Now the "ideological debate" is restricted to quotas and scholarships in the schools and universities. This is a good news also as the Senator knows how to identify and solve the problems in a Macro Environment. Now the focus is on quotas.ie. a Micro environmental problem.

I think that this issue can be solved by studying how the European countries are handling this issue. For example, have we observed how countries like Norway, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland (especially),etc; allocate the quotas to their minorities in their schools and Universities? Have they defined who their minorities are? We (at least I) don't know. Therefore I suggest that the good Senator leads a committee to some Nordic countries as well as neutral Switzerland to study these aspects.

A great article by the Senator, as usual.

Hmmmmmm....strange question !

Here is the simple explanation for Switzerland :

- over 95 % of the people go to PUBLIC SCHOOLS !
- our public schools are very good.
- every one is treated the same, regardles if one come from a poor, middle class or wealthy family. Unless you go to private schools, kids dont chose their school, they go to the nearest school they reside from.
- By not chosing their school, I mean the location of the school, but they chose their type of schools if they have the accepted schools notations.
- the students with good records can then enter University.
- we dont pay to go to University, but there is some small costs. Students can get state subsidizes.
- those who did not have the good records for University entrance (known years earlier the U. entry) chose then different types of educations.
- those who dont like to study, can start apprenticeships. An employer will hire them (even banks hire) and forms them. During their 3 or 4 years of apprenticeship, they go to commercial school around 1 1/2 day per week.
Large firms will also have on top their own internal formation schools for around 1 day a week. And the rest of the time the apprentice works and is trained at different departments within the firm that usually last 3 to 6 months, before moving to another department. Meaning that at the end of the apprentice they know quite a lot since they worked in many departments and then can chose the departments they prefer.¨
This of course is for administrative people either in banks or in administrations or large services firms.

But for the people more manual, they may as well choose an apprenticeship with let say a plumber , a carpenter, electrician, may be a Nestlé, or why not in our Wal Marts equivalent etc.
Then the basis is the same where they work and learn but also go to professional schools 1 1/2 day per week !

And the on the job training-learning is always TOP CLASS !

And all the apprentices have a specific person in charge of following their training, discuss of the eventual problems, discuss of the schools notations...but...but that person is usually (but not all the time) not from the same firm the apprentice works for.

Or stated otherwise......NO ONE IS LEFT ON THE SIDE....BUT ONLY PROVIDED HE DOES THE NECESSARY EFFORTS !

Therefore who cares how much the parents earn ?
We all have the same possibilities, the same opportunities, the same rights !
Education at whatever level someone decides to go....IS A RIGHT....that the society must provide to everyone.

SIMPLE ! Isnt it ???

Hmmmmmm....strange question !

Here is the simple explanation for Switzerland :

- over 95 % of the people go to PUBLIC SCHOOLS !
- our public schools are very good.
- every one is treated the same, regardles if one come from a poor, middle class or wealthy family. Unless you go to private schools, kids dont chose their school, they go to the nearest school they reside from.
- By not chosing their school, I mean the location of the school, but they chose their type of schools if they have the accepted schools notations.
- the students with good records can then enter University.
- we dont pay to go to University, but there is some small costs. Students can get state subsidizes.
- those who did not have the good records for University entrance (known years earlier the U. entry) chose then different types of educations.
- those who dont like to study, can start apprenticeships. An employer will hire them (even banks hire) and forms them. During their 3 or 4 years of apprenticeship, they go to commercial school around 1 1/2 day per week.
Large firms will also have on top their own internal formation schools for around 1 day a week. And the rest of the time the apprentice works and is trained at different departments within the firm that usually last 3 to 6 months, before moving to another department. Meaning that at the end of the apprentice they know quite a lot since they worked in many departments and then can chose the departments they prefer.¨
This of course is for administrative people either in banks or in administrations or large services firms.

But for the people more manual, they may as well choose an apprenticeship with let say a plumber , a carpenter, electrician, may be a Nestlé, or why not in our Wal Marts equivalent etc.
Then the basis is the same where they work and learn but also go to professional schools 1 1/2 day per week !

And the on the job training-learning is always TOP CLASS !

And all the apprentices have a specific person in charge of following their training, discuss of the eventual problems, discuss of the schools notations...but...but that person is usually (but not all the time) not from the same firm the apprentice works for.

Or stated otherwise......NO ONE IS LEFT ON THE SIDE....BUT ONLY PROVIDED HE DOES THE NECESSARY EFFORTS !

Therefore who cares how much the parents earn ?
We all have the same possibilities, the same opportunities, the same rights !
Education at whatever level someone decides to go....IS A RIGHT....that the society must provide to everyone.

SIMPLE ! Isnt it ???

instead of becoming an apprentice, and if unable due to his schools notation enter University, one may as well chose a vocational training
such as plumber, electrician etc and then go full time to these types of schools.
Or go full time to commercial schools if one wants to work LATER for the administratives depts at firms, or accounting depts, etc etc !

Last but not least, let me underline :
- EVEN KIDS WITH PARENTS ILLEGALLY IN THE COUNTRY...ARE WELCOME TO OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS ! You dont even need to hide that fact to the schools...because they dont care at all. Because as I said....EVERYONE HAS A RIGHT TO EDUCATION IN MY COUNTRY !
In reality you better have to say it to the schools, because then the teachers will even provide special attention that your kids are not "badly and unfairly" considered by the other kids of the same classroom and/or school !

I am back. I returned yesterday, Dec. 21st, to Mobile, Alabama where I will be leaving the ship in the shipyard for about 5 weeks of repair and inspections. I am still aboard at the moment; however, I will be leaving here for the Caribbean tomorrow at noon where I will begin to catch up on the many changes that took place since I left. See you here on or after the 23rd.

Hmmmmmm....strange question !

Not a strange question,but a curious one for I hardly know about the educational system in the countries I mentioned before. Thanks for the info. I agree with you when you mentioned:

Education at whatever level someone decides to go....IS A RIGHT....that the society must provide to everyone.

Thanks once again.

Hi,

Obviously your last voyage was short and it didn't take you to the Gulf of Aden ! Welcome back. You must be happy to spend the X-Mas and the New Year on dry land with your family unlike last year.Merry X-mas and New Year to you and the family.

Look forward to be in touch.

let me be even more concise :

- there is education and education....in the quality of education.

Therefore :
- everyone has the RIGHT to get a QUALITY education. Meaning it becomes
an OBLIGATION to the society to provide such rights and good quality education to everyone.....whatever the cost is to the society.

In return....ALL the beneficiaries have the choice to take or not these OPPORTUNITIES provided by the society !!!!

At least everyone, from poorer or wealthier families, got the same
opportunities.

Conclusion : your public education system & your private schools systems, mixed later with quota system for Univeristy are flunked...at the base !
Why put a quota of let say 40 % for minorities in Universities when these minorities DID NOT GET FIRST the good BASIC education to enter later in the Universities ????
Your system also shoots in your own rear...whatever you do...time and again...as usual ! But these auto goals are obviously done...ON PURPOSE : to show a positive aspect that is NOT POSITIVE and hide the darker truth of your society not really willing to offer the same opportunity to everyone.

It is somewhat similar to your corruption system :
- Regularly with BIG FANFARE your governments uses your medias to reveal some corruptions scandals and say that the Justice will punish those who commited wrong things...and that without fanfare end up NOWHERE !!!

THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE !

Same for your slaves workers ! You free around 1000 yearly, that are replaced the following week by another 1000. And you constantly pride yourselves that you combat these practices...hiding the fact these workers are replaced the following week in other areas !!!!

You have Noooooo intention to eliminate these practices, be they in education, corruption or slaves workers !

By the way, it is the same for your FAKED goods ! With big fanfare you seize more on a yearly basis, but that still represents a very small percentage of all the faked goods your produce or import !
What you seize and destroy, is simply to show developed nations that you care and want to cool down their accusations to avoid repraisals.
But in reality you dont care at all and there are more faked goods SOLD year after year getting total IMPUNITY !

Let me state that this is not particular to Brazil....but to 95 % of all emerging nations.
Until you change for the better, you will never ever become a developed country. GUARANTEED.
For sure, nothing in the horizon for the next decade at least !

Your system also shoots in your own rear...whatever you do...time and again...as usual ! But these auto goals are obviously done...ON PURPOSE : to show a positive aspect that is NOT POSITIVE and hide the darker truth of your society not really willing to offer the same opportunity to everyone.

Thanks for clearing it up Ch.c

There should be no more comments after this.

There should be no more comments after this.

There will be, in spite of your instructions.

The allocation of scholarships and percentage allocations of university entrance for blacks in Brazil were never going to be the answer to the inequality of opportunities for blacks. Brazil has a long history of inequality and that has entrenched a system of education that promotes inequality. When public education is neglected to such an extent as it is in Brazil then scholarships and university entrance quotas will never redress the wrongs of depressing public schools without adequate resources, with underpaid and unmotivated teachers.

How disgraceful that the senior years of secondary education and preparation of university entrance has been left to the private sector. To drive around Brazil surrounded by massive signs promoting these expensive Vestibular schools is heart-breaking because only the wealthy or the struggling families who make great sacrifices will ever get their children to these.

In Australia and many other countries governments have always provided well-funded public education systems. Here, hardworking students of any race, socio-economic status or location can gain the highest university entrance marks in the country at a government-funded public high school. Equality for all! So it's the overall poorly-funded public education system in Brazil that condemns the black and poorer population to a life of low opportunity.

I once saw the written assignment of some rich kid in Maceio who was attending an English school for Vestibular preparation. Her English was terrible, but the teacher was instructed to give this student a good mark for this assignment or she would be sacked by her principal, otherwise the father of the student would withdraw her from the school and tarnish the name of the school in the community. The private system of education in Brazil is so open to exploitation and corruption.

The federal and state governments have no pride in their public schools. In poorer areas, the students think education is a joke, the teachers get poor behaviour from the students and just barely tolerate the students because they know that no matter how hard they work - these kids will never get to Vestibular or beyond. It's a vicious circle and leaves Brazil with the band-aid nonsense of university scholarships and quotas! All nonsense!

When will Brazil ever get it right? Senior educators, together with politicians in Brazil need to visit many other countries and study why education systems in those countries achieve such high standards across all strata of their societies.

Considering the options in short term the best is abolish the quota system, but until all public school are in a good conditions of service and with the same standards in every region I propose that every student that came out of a Federal University (or College if you prefer) should give 2 year of service to his/her country (receiving allowance) but in regions that demand such good qualification.
Doing so, the people with better conditions will switch to private university and more room will be available to people in worst economical shape.
By the way, you know that the army is responsible for the school coordination in the amazon region because the government is not responsible enough to provide a Director. I would like to know the ideas about this from our senator (socialist).
regards