Survey shows that 353 organizations, most of which receive public money, operate in 26 states and the Federal District
The enormous number and diversity of private organizations working alongside state education systems – most of which receive public resources – is what the research “Mapping the insertion of the private sector in state education networks (2005-2015)” shows. whose results are partially available in the form of an open access platform. The research, to be published in e-Book during the VI Fineduca Seminar (National Association for Research in Education Financing), on November 26th and 27th at Unicamp, highlights the impact of the private sector in the three dimensions of educational policy – supply , management and curriculum. The study was developed by the Study and Research Group on Educational Policies (Greppe), which is interinstitutional and brought together professors and undergraduate and postgraduate students from Unicamp, USP, Unesp (Rio Claro) and UFRJ in this work, with support from CNPq and Fapesp.
“The research presents a lot of interesting information, but one element that is worth highlighting is the number and diversity of private actors working in the management or provision of education in the state network; in fact, in the definition of state education”, observes professor Theresa Adrião, leader of Greppe. “Roughly speaking, considering just two dimensions, curriculum and management, we located 231 different programs operating or that operated during the period, affecting the curriculum of the 26 Brazilian states and the Federal District. There are 353 private organizations working – and largely receiving public resources – to implement programs of different scope in the area of curriculum and 156 in the area of management.”
In relation to the three dimensions of educational policy, the research considered private provision as access to education through agreements, contracts and scholarships in private institutions (with public subsidies); management involves hiring consultants, transferring school management to private institutions, introducing mechanisms for evaluating institutional performance and direct or indirect forms of “awards”, such as productivity bonuses for education workers; and the curriculum dimension identified the presence of private actors in core activities, such as teaching-learning itself, carried out inside and outside the classroom.
In the opinion of the Greppe coordinator, this study represented a very comprehensive synthesis and characterization effort, of which there is no other record in Brazil. “The idea is for people to interact with the mapping and, depending on the state they want to consult, click on the related data – the darker the map, the greater the presence of private actors in educational management, provision and curriculum in that state. In the period 2005-2010, Pará and São Paulo were the ones that most concentrated this presence. Now, we intend to update the mapping, which depends on the continuity of the funding we have already requested.”
Theresa Adrião states that this research is in line with the history of investigations that Greppe has been developing since 2005, with a special interest in the activities of the private sector, in its different manifestations, alongside public networks. “We sought to locate in the period, together with the set of state networks, who were the main private actors, in which programs they worked, what they proposed for basic education, which segment they focused on (teacher, student, manager, community in general); and, also, whether or not there were education project evaluation systems, specific to each state, as well as some form of bonus (award to the school or director).”
According to the Unicamp professor, although state systems have secondary education as a priority – “where the biggest problem in basic education in Brazil is, in addition to daycare” – many private programs, especially on the curriculum, also operated in elementary education . “The curriculum programs, for the most part, sought direct dialogue with students, under the justification that they aimed to guarantee access to quality education, etc. In the case of management, school managers are the main segments targeted. It is also interesting to highlight that we have a general decrease in enrollment in basic education, both public and private, but with a greater decrease in public provision and an increase in private provision, at all stages of schooling.”
The researcher adds that in the richest regions, Southeast and South, it is the profit-oriented corporations that appeared most in the set of actors, in terms of curriculum and offer dimensions. “In the poorest regions, philanthropic agencies (institutes, foundations) prevail, which are social arms of corporations that aim to increase their profits by investing in startups and developing products to sell them to public systems – this is what the OECD [Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development] itself calls philanthrocapitalism.”
On the map of Brazil, Pará and São Paulo appear in black, which means intense private activity in the state education network, and which is explained by Theresa Adrião. “I supervised a master's thesis on the case of Pará, where they established a governance structure in which the private sector is part of the decision-making processes for education in the state: the so-called 'Pact of Pará for Education'. Just like in São Paulo, with the 'São Paulo Commitment to Education'. These are not just specific programs: educational policy is developed and mediated by an articulated group of this private sector, which claims to be a partner or an agreement with the government.”
The research coordinator also highlights that this survey was carried out on the websites of the education departments and identified institutions, and that this resulted in difficulties. “When the government changes, information related to previous processes disappears. There is great difficulty in constructing the history of the presence of private sectors in education in different states. It is known, for example, that the Roberto Marinho Foundation and the Ayrton Senna Institute have been operating in the Northeast for a long time, but it is very difficult to identify everything that actually happened.”
Future scenario
The survey ended in 2015, but the FE professor predicts that the colors of the map will change when the information is updated, such as in Rio de Janeiro, where it is already known that the state's education privatization process has deepened. “It is essential, first, that the information is public. This is because, despite being public resources, it is extremely difficult to know, for example, how much governments are transferring or have transferred through contracts or cooperation terms – there is no transparency. Second, we now want to carry out a longitudinal study, following groups that have been active for longer and intending the discourse of expertise that they adopt, as it is these very private actors who disqualify public education management. After all, what is the evidence that their presence improved what they say is bad?”
Commenting on the future scenario, Theresa Adrião, days before the end of the elections, expressed her concern with the new government's agenda, preaching ideas that would accentuate the participation of the private sector in Brazilian basic education. “One of the candidates has been selling the Chilean model, which is questioned in the literature in general. How can we consider the effectiveness of the voucher model, to be delivered to families, as if those in poorer regions/zones had schools to choose from? And when the federal government invests very little in basic education. It is worth remembering that even in the United States, the voucher is not widely adopted. One of our struggles is to increase funding for public education systems. Many students will stay out of school.”
Another important aspect pointed out by the Greppe coordinator is that distance learning and higher education are the only modalities completely liberalized for commercialization as services by the WTO (World Trade Organization). “As for basic education, no country has completely released it to the market, as it is clear that the training of youth is a national commitment. The proposal to expand services in primary education through distance learning is worrying, even more so with the communication difficulties we have in the country. What will happen to children in the interior of Amazonas who don’t have internet?”
Mapping the insertion of the private sector in state education networks (2005-2015)
Coordination: Theresa Adrião
Researchers: Teise de OG Garcia, Raquel Fontes Borghi, Regiane Helena Bertagna, Sabrina Moehlecke, Luciane B. Muniz
Postgraduate students: Bárbara Verissimo Kaleda, Cassia A. Domiciano, Daiane Silva, Dalva Franco, Danielle Batista Cardoso, Ellen Cristina Ceccon, Fabio Cesarini, Nadia Drabach, Simone Franco Benéli.
Undergraduates: Andrey Mori, Bárbara Verissimo Kaleda, Danilo Kanno, Jeane Vieira Lopes, Julia Dias, Karina Fernanda Kasali, Karina Yara Jurgensen, Marina Akim, Marina Pereira, Marina Pereira, Matheus H Pires Gomes, Nathalia Solla, Kelly M. dos Santos, Nicanor M Lopes, Rafaela Bottene Scanavaca;
Technicians: Danilo Kanno, Lucas Ferreira do Santos
