Brazilian education in intensive care after pandemic ordeal

Few sectors of Brazilian society and business were able to dodge the pandemic-fueled financial crisis, and this certainly was not the case for schools or lower-income students. Since the coronavirus arrived in Brazil in early 2020, enrollments in private schools have fallen by roughly one-third, with 2.7 million students choosing not to re-matriculate. The data comes from a report produced by education-focused consultancy Grupo Rabbit, encompassing the 2018 School Census and studies carried out in over 1,200 schools between September and March.

Small and medium-sized schools were the most affected, losing between 38 and 41 percent of their students.

Of those who left private schools, an estimated one-third migrated to the public education system, while the remainder abandoned their studies completely.  

“The pandemic was crushing for all productive sectors,” says Ademar Batista, head of the National Federation of Private Schools (Fenep). “We lost students, the crisis is severe, people are finding it difficult to pay [tuition fees].”

Mr. Batista says that many parents took their young children out of private schools when in-person classes were suspended, though he believes they should return once the situation improves.

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