Brasilia, 1 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - President Fernando Henrique Cardoso said Thursday that the fiscal reforms undertaken by the Brazilian government to ensure economic stability and a path for development significantly improved the social indicators throughout the 7 years of his administration.

In regards to education, Cardoso highlighted that today 97% of children between 7 and 14 years of age are enrolled in school, which allows it to be said that Brazil will soon eradicate illiteracy. "This is fundamental in a democracy and for the job market," he said.

In the health area, the president pointed out that 5 years ago, the country had 30,000 community health agents, who help poor communities deal with health problems. Today, 160,000 agents attend to 90 million poor Brazilians, who live, mainly, in the pockets of poverty in the interior of the country. (MW)