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The global economic crisis hitting Brazil has serious political consequences. Cuts in social programs and infrastructure are on the agenda. Privatization of education is under way. States which were in the past showcases for the Workers Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores – PT), such as Rio Grande do Sul (now governed by the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (Partido do Movimento Democrático Brasileiro – PMDB), a center-right party allied at federal level with the PT) and Paraná (the governor of which belongs to Fernando Henrique Cardoso’s Brazilian Social Democracy Party (Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira – PSDP), are now adopting neoliberal social and economic policies. And President Dilma Rousseff’s popularity ratings have fallen below the 10% mark.
Last September 21-25, the Landless Workers Movement (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra – MST) organized in Brasilia the second national meeting of Agrarian Reform Educators. These are teachers from all education levels, from basic literacy and primary school to university, who work in MST and other rural movements’ settlements. Their teaching programs are supported by the State and they benefit from a number of collaboration agreements with several State universities. Tens of thousands of students have been through this education system since the scheme was launched in 1998.
