Spending in education could be more efficient, says World Bank director

World Bank Director Cláudia Costin said Thursday (Sep. 3) that the Brazilian government could use its experience in the fiscal adjustment to assess how efficient the country's investment in education is: “We could use the crisis as an opportunity to take stock of where we've been spending the money earmarked for education. That money is often misspent.”

Costin participated in the international seminar Paths to Quality Public Education, held in Rio de Janeiro and promoted by the Unibanco Institute and the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo.

Despite arguing for a reassessment of expenditures in education, Costin highlighted that, even in moments of crisis, investment in the area should be preserved. “[Investment in] education requires a little more protection than do other [investments], as education builds the future. It won't earn trendy candidates any votes, but it does ensure the building of the future. So funds for education should be looked upon with much more care at a moment when cuts are being considered.”

The director regards as positive the announcement made by the Education Ministry to offer training courses to public school directors. “No doubt it will lead to more appropriate spending and more specialized school management.” She believes most managers at educational institutes are not properly trained for the job.

“We have teachers who are poorly prepared for the classroom even today. Some teachers are more experienced in school management, often with no training for doing the job.”

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira