Brazilian Educational System and a bit of Paraíba's Culture by Aninha Alfrida

On October 19th, we had a special class at Hamk. Firstly, we met some Kazakh teachers and principals who were also participating of an exchange program at Hamk. That day was also their final seminar. The Kazakh women presented  their outcomes of experiences in Kazashstan.

After that, our Brazilian teachers were divided into two groups ( Brazilian Educational System and Culture in Paraíba State) to present to the Kazakh participants and the audience in general what had been proposed to that day.

Immersion among Kazakh, Brazilian and Finnish teachers.

Brazilian Educational System Summary

Certain levels of education are compulsory for all children living in Brazil, while others, such as pre-school and upper secondary school, remain optional. Pre-school education (Educação Infantil) is entirely optional and for pre-school children from three to five years old.

In Brazil, it is mandatory for children to go to school from age 6 to 14. Children under the age of six may be enrolled as long as they turn six in the first semester. These compulsory nine years of education are known as Fundamental Education (Ensino Fundamental). During the Ensino Fundamental I, children study mathematics, Portuguese, science, arts, history, geography and physical education. During Ensino Fundamental II, pupils also study at least one other compulsory language. The normal practice in Brazilian schools, both public and private, is to mix all academic levels together in the same class.

Under the state system, an exam is given to all pupils at the end of each academic year to determine whether the child will move on to the next year, or whether they will be held back to repeat a year. It's not unusual to hold a child back, which means that the age mixture of classes is often quite varied.

Depending upon the pedagogic philosophy of the private school, children may be required to return and repeat a year, although this is not a very common practice these days. If it becomes obvious that a child is not managing to keep up with the advance in learning levels of their classmates, the school will speak to the parents about options involving other academic systems.

There are some privately-run schools, which divide a year into levels of academic ability for classes, in line with the British state model, for instance. This is, however, becoming less common as the private schools adopt more tightly controlled pedagogic models.

Upper secondary education- High School (Ensino Médio) is for young people aged 15 to 18. On top of the core curriculum subjects studied during Ensino Fundamental, students will also study philosophy and sociology.

The courses provided during this period are essentially designed to allow a young person to enter into a (usually public) university. The courses can be conducted either at the private school the child has been attending up until this point, or at specific colleges which train youngsters to take the specific entrance exam set by a specific university. Students can also choose to take professional training at the same time (Vocational School).

Once a student has successfully completed secondary education, they may continue their studies at a public or private university. To enter a university, the students must take the national exam known as ENEM ( Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio).

School Levels in Brazil

State of Paraíba- A bit of our culture!

Paraíba is a state of Brazil. It is located in the Brazilian Northeast and it is the third most densely populated state of the Northeast; João Pessoa, the sea-bordered state capital, and Campina Grande, in the interior, rank among the fifteen largest municipalities in the Northeast of Brazil.

Paraíba is most populated along the Atlantic coast, which extends as far as Ponta do Seixas, the easternmost point of the Americas. The state is a tourist and industrial hotspot; it is known for its cultural heritage, amenable climate and geographical features, ranging from the seaside beaches to the Borborema Plateau. It is named after the Paraíba river.

During our cultural presentation, we decided to focus on Festa Junina (Saint John’s Feast), which was introduced to Northeastern from Brazil by the Portuguese people. During these days, there are bonfires, fireworks, and folk dancing- known as Quadrilhas- in the streets. The step names are in French, which shows the mutual influences between court life and peasant culture in the 17th, 18th, and 19th-century in Europe. Typical refreshments and dishes are served. It should be noted that, like during Carnival, these festivities involve costume-wearing (in this case, peasant costumes), dancing, heavy drinking, and visual spectacles (fireworks display and folk dancing), such as what happens on Midsummer and St John's Day in Europe, and bonfires are a central part of these festivities especially in Northeast of Brazil. The Kazakh participants could attentionally  watch was presented by our group.

Paraíba's typical food

Quadrilha: a typical folk dance during June festivities

At the end, we danced Quadrilha together and also shared our typical corn food couscous and rapadura sweet with the Kazakh women, Professor Brian and our Coordinator Marja.