Brazil was unable to meet the national target of children’s literacy in 2024. According to the Ministry of Education (MEC), 59.2% of public school students completed the 2nd year of literate elementary school, which is below the 60% objective set for the year. The data, released on Friday (11), reflect the performance of children in state evaluations held between October and November last year.
The Minister of Education, Camilo Santana, attributed the fall in national performance to the situation of Rio Grande do Sul, which suffered with floods in April and May 2024. According to the MEC, the state recorded a significant retreat in the literacy index, from 63.4% to 44.7%, which pulled the national average down. “Without this atypical situation, we would have exceeded the goal,” said the minister.
Performance by states and municipalities
Despite the general drop, 58% of Brazilian municipalities (3,096) were able to improve their literacy rates compared to 2023. More than half of the cities evaluated (53%) reached the national goal. Among the states, 11 of the 26 units of the Federation reached the expected index.
Ceará led the national ranking, with 85.3%of literate children – result already above the national goal of 80%expected only to 2030. Other states that presented good results were Goiás (72.7%), Minas Gerais (72.1%), Espírito Santo (71.7%) and Paraná (70.4%).
At the other end, eight states ended the year with less than half of literate children. Among them are:
- Bahia (36%)
- Sergipe (38.4%)
- Rio Grande do Norte (39.3%)
- Rio Grande do Sul (44.7%)
- Amapá (46.6%)
- Pará (48.2%)
- Alagoas (48.6%)
- Amazonas (49,2%)
Roraima was the only state that did not participate in the evaluation in 2024.
Recovery measures
Given the results, MEC announced actions focused on regions with lower performance. The Ministry has been acting directly in priority municipalities, with technical visits and pedagogical support. States such as Amazonas and Bahia already receive face -to -face and virtual monitoring weekly.
The Secretary of Basic Education, Kátia Schweickardt, stressed that each state has different challenges and that the strategies have been adapted according to the local reality. The federal government’s goal is to increase the literacy rate at 5 percentage points by 2025, reaching 64%.
Future goals
The national commitment to literate child, signed between the MEC, the 26 states and the Federal District, provides that 80% of children are literate by 2030. To achieve this goal, the plan sets gradual goals:
- 64% em 2025
- 67% em 2026
- 71% em 2027
- 74% em 2028
- 77% em 2029
In addition, the federal government seeks to recover learning losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among students from 3rd to 5th grade.
Laura Basilio under supervision of Thiago San.
