Brazil's Lula government to revamp education funding

The state of Mato Grosso announced it will allocate 15.3% of its revenue to education investments, focusing on school infrastructure, professional and technical training, Chromebooks, uniforms and other resources to reduce inequalities for its 323,000 students.

At the federal level, the incoming administration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva plans to rebuild the education budget that suffered cuts and freezes between 2019 and 2022. The new Education Ministry, headed by former Ceará governor Camilo Santana, aims to restore key programs such as the National Textbook Program (PNLD), university and federal institute funding, and scholarships. Priorities include raising the per‑student school‑meal transfer (which has not increased since 2017), ensuring one‑third of food comes from family farms, expanding early‑childhood creches to reach the 50% target set for 2024, and extending full‑day schooling to at least half of public schools. The transition team also proposes recreating previously dissolved committees to improve dialogue with state and municipal managers and to coordinate the nationwide education agenda.