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finished primary school. The poor quality of teaching is often cited as a major
reason why Brazil’s schools are lackluster. That’s because most college graduates
do not aspire to become teachers. Instead, the less qualified are often working in
the classroom. Moreover, too many Brazilian students repeat entire school years.
In fact, 15 percent of those graduating from secondary school are more than
twenty-five years old. Just 42 percent of all students complete high school.
Things have gotten better in the last decade or so as the government has
instituted new
reforms
. Students have shown solid gains in reading, math-
ematics, and science. Today, 97 percent of seven- to fourteen-year-olds have
access to schooling, while the adult literacy rate has climbed to 90 percent and
the youth literacy rate to 97 percent.
Despite problems with its educational system, Brazil has one of the world’s
strongest economies, ranking seventh in the world in 2014. The economic suc-
cess can be seen in its cities, where modern buildings, skyscrapers, and high-end
shopping centers dominate the cityscape. The streets in such cities as Rio de
Janeiro are often crowded with shoppers and packed with cars and trucks, all
vibrant examples of just how many middle-class residents live in the cities.
The rise of the middle class is indeed an economic success story. According
to some estimates, 40 million poor people made it into the middle class, while
overall poverty has been reduced by 89 percent, and the unemployment rate
to just under 5 percent, although by the fall of 2014 there were signs that the
economy was slowing.
World-famous Copacabana Beach,
Rio de Janeiro.