Chamber retreats and schools linked to churches run out of Fundeb resources – 12/17/2020 – Education



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The Chamber of Deputies accepted the Senate’s decision and rejected expanding the transfer of resources from Fundeb (Fund for the Maintenance and Development of Basic Education), the main mechanism to finance basic education, for schools linked to churches.

The basic text was approved on Thursday (17), keeping the wording of the Senate.

Later, the deputies rejected a proposal from the Novo party that returned to the project a device that allowed private non-profit schools, including those linked to churches (confessional), to use funds from the fund in primary and secondary education up to the limit of 10 % of vacancies. The transfer is allowed in early childhood education (nursery and preschool), rural and special.

With that, the final text ended up being that of the speaker in the Chamber, Felipe Rigoni (PSB-ES). “These are achievements that our report has managed to bring to Brazilian education. We managed to reduce inequality in the financing of education in our country, ”he said. “With the new form of distribution, in addition to increasing public resources, we are managing to put money directly into educational networks, and the poorest educational networks in our country.”

Leader of the PSOL in the Chamber, Deputy Sâmia Bomfim (SP) celebrated the result and defended the use of government funds to strengthen public education.

“It is worth remembering that, unfortunately, the Bolsonaro government worked against Fundeb from the beginning. There was no participation of the MEC to make it possible today, ”he said. “But despite this and despite the threat of regulation through an interim measure, we are guaranteeing the best possible report in order to strengthen Brazilian public education.”

Representing the government leadership, Congressman Giovani Cherini (PL-RS) defended Planalto and affirmed that the Executive of Jair Bolsonaro is in favor of public education.

“But he is also in favor of efficiency, because we want the public service to be efficient, and we want students to leave schools, whether public or private, with qualities,” he said. “We have no prejudices. But our concept is that public money is made public. “

In the initial process in the Chamber of Deputies, deputies approved highlights of Rigoni’s text that generated criticism.

One of them fulfilled the government’s desire to expand the reach of private non-profit schools, including church-linked (denominational) schools, capable of receiving funds from the fund in primary and secondary education. The limit was 10% of the vacancies offered.

After the change, the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) sent a technical note to the 81 senators indicating that the bill would be unconstitutional due to transfers to private entities.

That same day, the NGO Todos pela Educação published a study that indicated that the proposal, as it had been approved by the deputies, could open a gap to transfer up to R $ 12.8 billion a year from the public network to philanthropic schools , community and confessional.

Another highlight approved by the deputies had relaxed the rule that reserves at least 70% of the fund’s resources for the payment of the salaries of education professionals.

The Chamber decided that, to calculate this percentage, payments to professionals in the technical and administrative areas of schools can also be considered, as well as subcontracted workers and professionals from private non-profit institutions, such as denominational or philanthropic companies. The project already provided for the inclusion of psychologists and social service professionals on this list.

Fundeb was renewed this year through a constitutional amendment that expanded the appeal forecast. The fund meets the tax quotas and receives a supplement from the Federal Government, today the supplement is 10% and will reach, in a staggered manner, up to 23%.

This increase was approved by the constitutional reform. What remains now is to pass a bill with the details of how the new fund will work.

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