Brazil implements new bilingual education policies for deaf students

Brazil is implementing new guidelines for the bilingual education of deaf students through the National Policy for Bilingual Education of the Deaf (Pnebs). Established by the Ministry of Education (MEC), the policy aims to ensure Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) serves as the primary language (L1) for instruction and communication, while written Portuguese is taught as a second language (L2).

The Pnebs is structured around six pillars: governance, guidelines, curriculum and pedagogical materials, knowledge production and monitoring, professional training, and the recognition of innovative experiences. To support this, the government is utilizing the PDDE Equidade program to provide direct financial resources to schools for infrastructure needs.

Data from the 2025 School Census indicates that bilingual education is currently present in 119 schools across Brazil, including 50 dedicated bilingual schools and 69 schools offering specialized bilingual classes. The public school system leads this initiative, hosting 94 schools and 536 classrooms. Efforts are also being made to qualify educators through the National Network for the Continuous Training of Education Professionals (Renafor).