Brazil's CNE issues rules to secure 200 school days nationwide

The Conselho Nacional de Educação (CNE) has issued a resolution that obliges all Brazilian schools to complete 200 instructional days per year. The rule sets national parameters for maintaining the school calendar and for compensating lost classes, responding to a July 2025 recommendation from the Ministério Público Federal (MPF) aimed at mitigating the impact of armed violence on education.

The resolution calls for coordinated action among the Union, states, the Federal District and municipalities. It defines a wide range of crisis situations that may disrupt schooling – including armed confrontations, police operations, health emergencies such as COVID‑19, strikes, administrative delays, service outages, and climate events like the severe May 2024 floods in Rio Grande do Sul. It cites a study showing that 34 % of schools suspended classes in 2023 due to extreme weather and that the average number of days without lessons doubled in 2024.

To ensure continuity, the CNE mandates prior planning, school‑level protocols, official decision‑making bodies, and clear communication channels with families. It requires targeted remedial measures for vulnerable students, continuous teacher training, and limits the automatic suspension of in‑person classes, insisting on proportional mitigation measures and regular review.