All children and adolescents have the right to basic education. Child labor is prohibited in Brazil.
The academic year in Brazil begins in February and ends in December. In July, there is also a shorter break of 2 to 3 weeks. All children and adolescents, including asylum-seekers and refugees, have the right to enroll in public primary and secondary school free of charge. The Refugee Law of Brazil guarantees that the Brazilian authorities will take into consideration the exceptional situation in which the refugees find themselves in Brazil. Therefore, they facilitate the admittance into educational institutions of those who are not in actual possession of their educational qualifications or records. Thus, every child or adolescent asylum-seeker or refugee has the right to enroll in any public school upon presentation of his or her CPF and RNE or the “Protocolo” (provisional paper document).
Refugees can also enroll in technical and vocational courses that are available upon payment of fees, through governmental institutions linked to Pronatec or to the “Sistema S” (SESI, SESC, SENAC, SENAI), among others.
UNHCR has agreements with several universities in the country through the Cátedra Sergio Vieira de Mello. Cátedra’s projects focus not only on teaching and research on International Refugee law but also on the creation of initiatives that directly benefit refugees. Some universities offer refugees special places in higher education courses. For more information about these universities, contact UNHCR or the civil society organizations mentioned above.
How to enroll your child in school
Parents or guardians should go to the educational center nearest to where they live to register their child. After registration, the family must await information about the enrolment, which may be in one of the nurseries/CEIs in the region, near to where the child lives, or in a state or local-authority school.
Infant Education: 0 to 6 years.
- "Centros de Educação Infantil (CEIs)" (Early Childhood Education Centers) / "Creches conveniados" (approved nurseries) (0 to 3 years)
- "Escola Municipal de Educação Infantil (EMEI)" (local authority infant school) (3 to 5 years)
"Ensino Fundamental I, II, Médio" (primary and secondary school): age 6 and over.
Portuguese Language Schools
Some civil society organizations and public institutions offer free basic Portuguese courses for asylum-seekers and refugees. For more information, take a look at the list of UNHCR partner organizations listed under “How to find us”.
How to obtain a certificate of proficiency in Portuguese for foreigners
The CELPE-Bras is the certificate of proficiency in Portuguese Language for foreigners of the Ministry of Education (MEC), available in Brazil and in other countries, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE). The CELPE-Bras is the only officially recognized Brazilian certificate of proficiency in Portuguese and is awarded at four levels: Intermediate, Upper Intermediate, Advanced and Upper Advanced.
In Brazil, this certificate may be required by universities for admittance into undergraduate and postgraduate programs. However, the universities that have special selection processes for refugees do not require evidence of proficiency in the Portuguese language. Outside Brazil, companies and educational institutions accept the certificate as proof of competency in Portuguese.
Free access to the Internet
Several Brazilian states have a program to offer free access to the Internet.
Brasília
Free Wi-Fi access in public places in the city center, such as Parque da Cidade, Rodoviária do Plano Piloto and Estádio Nacional de Brasília.
Rio de Janeiro
Free Wi-Fi in the Uruguai, Maracanã, Cinelândia, Carioca, Uruguaiana, Presidente Vargas and Central metro stations.
São Paulo
• Acessa São Paulo
Offers free Internet access through a network of Internet service stations across the state of São Paulo. To subscribe to this service, users must follow these rules:
- registration is mandatory;
- minors under the age of 16 must register in the presence of an adult or guardian;
- minors under the age of 11 must be accompanied by an adult or guardian when using the internet at the service station;
- the elderly, pregnant women and the physically disabled have preferential service;
- each user is entitled to 30 minutes;
- the network may be used more than once per day;
- altering the computer’s settings is prohibited;
- CDs or diskettes may only be used with permission of the supervisor;
- printing is allowed only for public utility services or academic material;
• Poupatempo Sé
Praça do Carmo
• Centro Cultural São Paulo
Rua Vergueiro, 1000 – Paraíso
Location of public places with free Wi-Fi: http://wifilivre.sp.gov.br
Higher Education
ENEM
In Brazil, there are many ways to follow a university course, whether at a private, state or federal university. Several federal universities use a test called ENEM ("Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio" - national secondary education exam), set at the end of each year, either as part of their selection process or as the sole selection assessment. The ENEM also plays a role in helping people who do not have the financial means to pay private university fees to enter public universities instead.
Steps to take the ENEM exam:
1. Registration:
To apply for the exam, you must look out for the exact date on which the Ministry of Education (MEC) opens registration. The exam is carried out at the start of the calendar year (February or March). To register and to obtain more information such as what subjects will be covered or how the test is marked, please go to: http://www.mec.gov.br , where you can find more complete information on the registration process.
2. Documents:
To register, your documents must be up-to-date (“CPF” (social security card), “RNE” (identity card for foreigners), or "Protocolo", proof of residence, cell-phone number). Upon completion of the registration process, the site will generate a password and registration number. Do not lose your password or registration number because they are required when consulting your grade and to sign up for SISU.
3. The examination:
After the registration process, you will receive a confirmation card at your residence. On the card, you will find information about the test dates as well as where it will take place and at what time and how long it will last. Please note that you will also find information about what you may or may not use during the exam, for example, mobile telephones and calculators are not allowed; if you are caught with any of these items, you may be disqualified.
4. Content:
The ENEM test takes place over a period of two days. On the first day, you will be tested on comprehension of texts in Portuguese and on History, Geography, Biology and in a language of your choice (Spanish or English). On the second day the test will be on Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Essay writing, Portuguese language (grammar) and Literature. The Universidade Federal do Amazonas (UFAM) can provide supplementary handouts that may be useful for your studies or you can try to pay for a "Vestibular" preparatory course which will help you to prepare for the ENEM with the help of specialized instructors. It is important that you are proficient in Portuguese because the written essay component requires the use of correct grammar and spelling.
5. SISU:
After completing the exam, the test will be marked by professionals, which generally takes three months. You should regularly consult the newspapers and the Internet to know the date on which your grade will appear on SISU (http://sisu.mec.gov.br). After receiving your grade online, you can complete the registration process on the website using your password and registration number.
How does the SISU work?
As soon as you sign up, you will have the opportunity to choose two courses you may be interested in at any federal university in the country. It is important to be aware that your test score should be higher than or equal to that required for your chosen course (you can find this information by clicking the name of the course).
You must log on at the end of each day to see if your test score is still within the requirement for the course that you have chosen because the average of each course varies according to the grades of the other participants. The higher the score, the more the entry average goes up. At the end of the process, if you are selected, you must go to the university to submit your documents.
SPECIAL OPENINGS FOR REFUGEES IN UNIVERSITIES:
Some universities in Brazil have a special system in place to admit refugees as students in some of their degree courses. Below is a list of the available options.
São Paulo
Educational Institution: Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar)
State: São Paulo
City: São Carlos
Website: http://www.ufscar.br
The University has specific places for refugees on their undergraduate courses. Normally, information about the "Vestibular" (entrance exam) is released at the end of the year, in October or November, and an admission exam is set at the start of the year (December or January).
More information: (16) 3351-8152
More information
Educational Institution: Universidade Católica de Santos (UNISANTOS)
State: São Paulo
City: Santos
Website: http://www.unisantos.br/
The university offers scholarships to refugees, which pays all tuition and/or university fees for such students. As a general rule, the notice for scholarships is published in January of each year and the relevant information is available on the following site: Edital
Belo Horizonte
Educational Institution: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG)
State: Minas Gerais
City: Belo Horizonte
Website: https://www.ufmg.br/
The university provides specific places for refugees. Enrolment is restricted to those who have completed their secondary education in their country of origin up to two years prior to having their application approved by CONARE (the Brazilian National Committee for Refugees), or those who have completed the same level of study in Brazil up to two years after endorsement by CONARE.
More information: Political Refugees
Brasília
Educational Institution: Universidade de Brasília (UnB)
State: Distrito Federal
City: Brasília
Website: http://www.unb.br/
The university has a special program that allows refugees to register as regular students. The person must be declared a refugee by the "Comitê Nacional para Refugiados" (National Committee for Refugees - CONARE) to be eligible. No candidate who has completed secondary education in Brazil will be accepted. The University fills any places arising from the dismissal and the transfer of students to other tertiary level institutions or those remaining from the "Vestibular". Refugees admitted as students have the same rights and duties as other students at UnB.
More information: Office of the Rector: (61) 31070254.
Adult Education
Entrance into higher education institutions in Brazil is accessible to legal immigrants who compete for spots under the same conditions as Brazilian students. This form of admission is only possible through the selection process known as the “Vestibular”. To register for the "Vestibular", the candidate must present their RNE or passport. In order to register, the immigrant must be in possession of legal documents and certificate of recognition of equivalent studies issued by the Secretaria da Educação (Board of Education). For more information, consult the site: http://portal.mec.gov.br/sesu.
How to validate higher education diplomas in Brazil
Revalidation of foreign degrees must be carried out by a federal public education institution, as required by the Ministry of Education. All the information on recognition of degrees is available on the website of the Ministry of Education of Brazil. As a general rule, public universities charge a fee for the recognition of foreign degrees. To validate your degree, you must contact the degree recognition department of a public university which runs a course equivalent to that run in your country in order to request all the necessary information. The university must make its decision within a time limit of six months starting from the date on which the documents are submitted. If the request is refused, the student may appeal to the institution itself and, if it is rejected again, may appeal to the Conselho Nacional de Educação (Brazilian National Education Council - CNE).
Under Resolution CNE/CES Nº 1 of 28 January 2002, some universities have specific guidelines for the revalidation of degrees held by refugees and may facilitate the process in those particular cases. Below are set out the guidelines approved by the universities, together with the link to the relevant institution where more detailed information on each case may be found:
Universidade Federal de Pernambuco - UFPE: For further information, click on: https://www.ufpe.br/
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte - UFRN: For further information, click on: http://www.prograd.ufrn.br
Universidade de São Paulo - USP: For further information, click on: http://www.leginf.usp.br/
Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo - UFES: For further information, click on:
http://www2.daocs.ufes.br/
Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto - UFOP: For further information, click on: http://www.prograd.ufop.br
Universidade Federal de Sergipe - UFS: For further information, click on: http://presencial.ufs.br
Universidade Federal do Ceará: For further information, click on:
http://www.ufc.br/
Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Ceará - IFC: For further information, click on:
http://www.ifce.edu.br
Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia da Paraíba - IFPB: For further information, click on: http://www.ifpb.edu.br
Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de Santa Catarina - IFSC: For further information, click on: http://cs.ifsc.edu.br
Educational Institution: Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR)
Website: http://www.ufpr.br/portalufpr
Revalidation of degrees: Migrants who have been regularly admitted into Brazil and who have the status of refugee or have entered under a humanitarian visa may apply for revalidation of a university degree conferred abroad at the Universidade Federal do Paraná (Federal University of Paraná). Applications may be made on specific dates, usually in December and January each year, and further information may be obtained by telephone from the Office of the Rector of the University on (41) 3360 5003.
Other activities provided by the universities for refugees
Educational establishment: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)
Website: http://www.ufrgs.br
Legal Advice: The university has an outreach/extension program to provide legal advice consisting of 17 groups, including the Grupo de Assessoria a Migrantes e Refugiados ('Advisory Group on Migrants and Refugees' - Gaire), which includes students and professionals from various fields, providing support to migrants and refugees on various legal and social issues; it is also able to direct its clients to other groups under the program dealing with more specific issues such as mental health, gender and sexuality, work, consumer affairs, etc.
Further information: http://www.ufrgs.br/saju/contato
Psychological Clinic: The UFRGS also has a psychological clinic which persons from outside the university may also visit free of charge or by making a symbolic payment-in-kind (drawings, poems, etc.).
Further information: http://www.ufrgs.br/psicologia
Educational establishment: Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR)
Website: http://www.ufpr.br/portalufpr
Continuing studies interrupted in the country of origin: the university provides access to undergraduate courses to refugees whose higher education studies were interrupted in their country of origin.
Portuguese classes: UFPR provides an outreach/extension course for refugees entitled "Português Brasileiro para Migração Humanitária" ("Brazilian Portuguese for Humanitarian Migrants") which has already been followed by 272 Haitians, and in 2014 had its first group of Syrian students. Further information: http://www.celin.ufpr.br
Computer classes: IT course at various levels for refugees and migrants.
Educational establishment: Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados (UFGD)
Website: http://portal.ufgd.edu.br/
Legal Advice: UFGD's “Núcleo de Prática e Assistência Jurídica” ("Legal Practice and Legal Assistance Centre") is available to refugees in Brazil. The Núcleo de Prática e Assistência Jurídica is where the Law course is mainly delivered; legal assistance is provided to those in need in the community in various areas of law through real-life practice with the students from the course, thus contributing very significantly to the democratization of justice and ensuring access to it.
Further information: http://www.ufgd.edu.br/fadir/laboratorios/npaj.