On Wednesday (18), the Minister of Education, Fernando Haddad, defended at the Chamber the approval of the Bill on a Constitutional Amendment (PEC) 277/08, which prevents the loss of 20% of the budget to the sector, as a way of broadening access to free education in Brazil. That resource percentage is what the government has the right to freely use, thanks to a mechanism called Delinking of the Union Income (DRU). The bill gradually eliminates, before 2011, the Education from the reach of DRU.

In a public hearing at the special Committee of the Chamber which discusses the PEC, the minister explained that the education area loses around R$ 9 billion (US$ 3,9 billion) per year because of that tool. The idea is to use that amount to ensure, before the end of 2014, public and free education to children and teenagers from 4 to 17. The law currently provides for that obligation for the age range from 7 to 14.

According to Haddad, that broadening would allow the inclusion of 3,500,000 students from that segment, who are currently out of school. “The students who do not have access to preschool eventually encumber education and are brutally punished, because they fail and abandon their studies before the conclusion of high school”, he lamented.

Gradual reduction
The rapporteur of PEC, Deputy Rogério Marinho (PSB-RN), will keep the idea of the original PEC, and implement a gradual reduction on the levy of DRU on Education. However, he changes the rates: from the current 20% to 12.5% this year, 5% in 2010, until they get to zero in 2011. The original PEC provided for a percentage of 10% in 2009.

That way, the rapporteur reduces the volume of resources linked to Education this year, if compared to the original text of the PEC. According to the deputy, a higher percentage was agreed, together with the ministries of Education and Finances. “We know that the government is very strong at the Chamber and that it is therefore important that there is consensus for the project to be approved. The economic authorities of the government agree with the bill, provided that it is maintained in 12.5% this year”, he clarified.

The presentation of the opinion was set for March 10th , and the voting, for the 17th, at the special committee. The matter will have to be voted afterwards in two turns at the House of the Chamber and return to Senate.

Haddad informed that the bill counts with the approval of the economic team and of the president Luiz Inácio da Silva. He guaranteed to the rapporteur of the PEC that the whole allied basis of the government will support the bill. According to Haddad, the minister of Planning, Paulo Bernardo, informed that in 2009 the incidence of DRU on the budget of Education will be 12.5%, as the opinion of Rogério Marinho will propose, independently from the PEC’s procedure.

Report - Marise Lugullo
Editing - Maria Clarice Dias
Translation – Positive Idiomas Ltda