Brazil: land of opportunity for education
Published 24 November 2014
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This publication was archived on 4 July 2016
This article is no longer current. Please refer to Overseas Business Risk - Brazil
Summary
The re-election of President Dilma opens way to increased education opportunities with Brazil. UK on track to exceed 10,000 student target by 2015 under Brazil’s Science without Borders (SWB) programme, generating over £200 million for the UK. Dilma has committed to continue SWB for four more years. Success in SWB coupled with Newton Fund has opened other opportunities for us, from research partnerships to vocational and technical training. There are big commercial opportunities, and the emphasis will increasingly be on quality.
Detail
Science without Borders
In 2012 President Dilma launched the Science without Borders Programme (SWB), pledging to send 101,000 Brazilian students to the best institutions in the world to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics, all paid for by the Brazilian taxpayer.
The UK committed to take 10,000 by 2015. We are on track to exceed this target with 8500 students already placed. The UK is second behind USA for preferred SWB destinations amongst 65 participating countries, just pipping France and Germany. By 2015 SWB will generate over £200 million in income for the UK. During the election campaign President Dilma announced that SWB would continue for four more years if she was re-elected.
More Opportunities
The increased collaboration through SWB, coupled with the Chancellor’s launch of the £27 million Brazil Newton Fund for research and innovation, has opened the door for other opportunities including a SWB Masters programme, and potential for vocational and technical training partnerships. In June the UK signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Tourism, which will bring Brazilian hospitality students to UK colleges, with the first 50 starting their studies this month.
We are facilitating negotiations between the Association of Colleges and Brazil to send 1000 trainee teachers to the UK in 2015 and we hosted the first UK-Brazil Education Working Group (EWG) on September 9th bringing together senior Brazilian education officials and UK counterparts with the aim of removing barriers to closer collaboration.
Commercial opportunities
The Presidential election campaign showed a level of dissatisfaction of Brazilians with the current public education system. The government has increased investments in ICT, creating commercial opportunities for Brazilian and foreign companies with innovative technologies. The British Council is re-entering the English language teaching market, working through private universities to teach the growing aspirant working “C” class.
Risks to delivery
Brazilian officials tell us that value for money may play a stronger role in Brazil’s choice of education partners, as will visa regimes. Brazil’s public finances are worse than when SWB was first launched. The combination of a strong pound, administration costs and tuition fees (unlike Germany or France) make the UK relatively expensive. So Brazilians will continue to place a premium on quality.
Next Steps
We need to continue to work hard to strengthen the bilateral partnership in education. The GREAT Education events during the World Cup provided an excellent platform, at which we launched our Education App improving communication on visas, and universities in the UK. The events also promoted positive perceptions of studying in the UK, reaching 16 million Brazilians through social media, live streams, and partnering with Globo, the leading Brazilian media outlet.
This month the Ambassador plus the Consul Generals in Sao Paulo and Rio, and visa officers - supported the GREAT funded British Council UK Universities Fairs, which hosted 72 UK universities in three states. The long queues were a testament to the hunger amongst Brazilians to study abroad. This hunger goes beyond the usual States, and next Spring the network will partner with the British Council to deliver GREAT University Fairs, with a postgraduate focus, in the states of Pernambuco, Rio Grande de Sul and Parana. Through our prosperity fund programmes in North Eastern states, the network is engaged in dialogue with policy makers to promote UK expertise in education PPPs.
Disclaimer
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