Brasília, 12 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Yesterday president Fernando Henrique Cardoso called on critics of his administration to be more humble and less arrogant, especially those who insist on claiming that there was a "lost decade" in social assistance. "No country has ever moved ahead as fast as Brazil," said Cardoso, referring to an article in the Folha de São Paulo by the president of the World Bank, "yet I am tired of hearing and reading about a lost decade."

Cardoso cited progress in education, where enrollment is now at 97% of school-age children, and the school lunch program, which feeds 36 million children, and the increase of 70% in the number of students studying in universities in Brazil. "What all this translates into is a real chance to eliminate illiteracy. And that is more than just a demagogic promise," said the president. (AB)