Brazil’s education problem, in charts

In terms of work ethics, Brazil is somewhat “a nation of workaholics,” according to experts. Here, the idea of spending less time working to produce more is “foreign to our values.” In Brazil, business owners are still faithful believers of the 8-hours-a-day system—and some sectors even want to add an extra working hour per day. With technology, companies have even more ways of keeping their workforce busy around the clock. With smartphones, company tablets, and laptops, employees are demanded to be available 24/7—just in case.

But working long hours doesn’t mean that Brazilians are highly productive. In fact, Brazilian workers produce 25 percent as much as American workers, according to research organization Conference Board. The two top reasons for that are: (1) our workers are less educated and less qualified, and (2) they don’t have as much quality equipment at their disposal.

Brazilians complete, on average, seven years of education. While the average number of years is not even enough to graduate from high school, and it’s just half as many years as the average American studies, the reality is much...