The educator Anísio Teixeira is about to be officially recognized as the patron of Brazilian public schools. The law, granting this title to the teacher who passed away in 1971 in Rio de Janeiro, was signed on October 15, Teacher’s Day, by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
“This tribute is important because education is the only and strongest possibility we have to make this country take a leap in quality, so that its society can live well with good jobs and salaries, and with a lot of knowledge,” President Lula stated during the signing ceremony of the new law, which will come into effect as soon as it is published in the Diário Oficial da União.
Highlighting the relevance of education professionals for the country and the importance of fair compensation for teachers, Lula lamented the lack of recognition for these professionals, especially by governors who consider the current minimum salary of the category, which is R$ 4,580.57, to be too high.
“Most teachers suffer from the lack of conditions in schools, they suffer from the lack of conditions to attend to children who often prioritize having a meal over studying. They also suffer from the lack of state assistance,” the president said.
“Many governors did not want to pay a minimum salary that, if I remember correctly, was only R$ 4,000, thinking it was too much. A country that considers R$ 4,000 too much for a teacher is a country that does not care for education with the respect it should,” the president asserted.
Born in 1900 in Caetité, Bahia, Anísio Teixeira graduated in Law from the University of Rio de Janeiro, where he served as Secretary of Education. A proponent of creating an education network that catered to everyone, from early schooling to university education, he was part of the group of educators responsible for the Manifesto of the Pioneers of New Education, which aimed to reform the Brazilian education system.
He also participated in the creation of federal universities, including the University of Brasília (UnB). He was also the head of the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Capes) and the then National Institute for Educational Studies and Research (Inep), which currently bears his name.
Source: Agencia Brasil