The definition of statistical and qualitative indicators for vocational education in the countries of the Mercosur is one of the priorities of the Mercosur Regional Commission for the Coordination of Technological Education, which will meet in Assunción, Paraguay, between April 25 and 27.
The proposal was presented by Brazil for the purpose of drawing a profile of technological education in the bloc’s member countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay) and associates (Bolivia and Chile).
“With the definition of these indicators, it will be possible to formulate joint policies geared to the reality of this level of instruction,” explained the coordinator in charge of Professional Education Policies in the Ministry of Education (MEC), Francisco Danna.
According to Danna, Argentina, Brazil, and Chile are currently the most advanced countries in this field.
According to the most recent education census, 680 thousand students are enrolled in secondary level technical instruction in Brazil.
“We believe that no survey of technical instruction exists in the other countries,” affirmed Márcia Moreschi, a technical staffer of the Secretariat of Professional and Technological Education (SETEC) who will participate in the meeting in Paraguay.
Reports will be presented at the meeting on the progress achieved so far in the field of professional and technological education in the Mercosur.
The first activity to be concluded was the harmonization of profiles of professional specialists in six areas: construction, agriculture, automobile mechanics, industrial mechanics, electronics, and administration.
“This effort will enable workers to enjoy greater mobility in the acquisition of further professional training among the bloc’s member countries,” observed Moreschi. The next areas for which correspondencies will be sought are tourism and chemistry.
The Organization of American States’ (OAS) school administration and certification project for training and certification at the secondary level will also be presented during the meeting.
The project, which was implanted in August, 2004, in 32 countries on the continent, is intended to improve the interface between the completion of technical instruction and the productive sector.
The idea is to encourage and establish conditions for the training of workers who have practical skills but lack professional instruction.
According to Francisco Danno, this is one of the greatest challenges facing the Ministry of Education. “There are 70 million workers in Brazil whose schooling is inadequate and professionalization is incomplete.”
The decisions of the Mercosur Technological Education Commission will be presented at a meeting of the bloc’s Ministers of Education, in June, in Paraguay.
Agência Brasil
