Brasília - The Ministry of Education wants to achieve the goal of 1,400 new enrollments in technical and trade schools by the end of 2006. For this purpose, US$ 58 million (R$ 175 million) will be invested next year on the Professional Education Expansion Program (Proep). This is one of the items in the Pact to Enhance Professional and Technological Education, launched yesterday (17) by the Minister of Education, Tarso Genro.

The announcement was made in Brasília at the second regular meeting of the Forum on Professional and Technological Education, which ends today. According to the Ministry's Secretary of Professional and Technological Education, Antônio Ibañez Ruiz, 600 thousand students are currently enrolled in technical instruction, and the expansion will be accomplished through integrated secondary education, allowing students to attend high school and trade school at the same time. Ibañez said that up until two weeks ago enrolling in trade school was only permitted after the conclusion of high school. "Now, with decree 5,154/2004, it is possible to obtain a high school education integrated with a technical course," he pointed out.

Minister Genro recalled that professional education is the last item on the agenda of President Lula's Administration in the area of education projects. "The other items are university reform, literacy instruction, and the creation of the Fund for the Maintenance and Development of Basic Education (Fundeb)."

Agência Brasil
Reporter: Keite Camacho
Translator: David Silberstein
08/18/2004