Gov’t to send more special education students to ordinary classes
The Brazilian government will invest approximately BRL 3 billion over four years to expand the access, permanence, participation, and learning of students with some kind of disability in ordinary schools, in addition to improving training for educators. The goal of the move is to have more than 2 million disabled students enrolled in regular classes by the end of 2026.
The efforts are outlined in a plan unveiled Tuesday (Nov. 21). It covers expansion of access, quality and permanence, knowledge production, and training.
During the plan’s launch ceremony, Francisco Wanderlei de Lima Cardoso, a third-year high-school student with autism, moved people to tears as he talked about the prejudice he suffered when parents and students asked him to leave the school.
“I felt pain. I thought I shouldn’t be there, because the school didn’t want me to be there. But my mother showed me it’s not a difference that makes me unworthy of a place. It’s that place that isn’t prepared for me,” he recounted.
President Lula said the most important investment public authorities can make is to “take care of people.” “What we are launching today is a message to Brazilian society: We’re going to fix this country. People will be treated with respect and dignity. People will be treated the way they are, but with the care and love they deserve. It won’t be mere government spending, but investment,” he declared.
The initiative will be spearheaded by the Ministry of Education, which should invest in training, infrastructure, transportation, assistive technology, and teaching resources. Implementation will be coordinated alongside state and municipal officials.
