High school consists of last stage in basic education in Brazil. It has an average duration of three years and precedes admission to higher education.
The purpose of this teaching stage is to provide training aimed at the labor market, in addition to improve the knowledge of citizens already acquired in the previous stages and as a human being endowed with reason.
Although high school is the final stage of basic education, it is still not considered mandatory and in accordance with the Law of Guidelines and Bases (LDB) on education, this responsibility is of the States. They have this function of progressively making secondary education mandatory, making more places available for serve all elementary school graduates, as established in the National Education Plan (PNE).
Secondary education can also be offered together with training for the exercise of technical professions, provided that this type of education meets the training and the general objective of this stage.
This articulation between high school and professional technical training can be offered in the following ways:
- integrated, held at the same school where the student attends high school, requiring a single enrollment;
- concomitant, which may or may not be taught at the same institution where the student attends high school, the agreement between the different institutions being optional and;
- subsequent, where it is offered to students who have already completed high school.
Regardless of the articulation between high school and vocational technical education, the high school technician diploma will only be issued to students who also complete high school.
In terms of curriculum guidelines, secondary education is guided by the National Curriculum Parameters for the High School (PCNEM), where publications aimed at this stage are composed of three consecutive volumes of each area:
- Language, Code and its Technologies,
- Natural Sciences,
- Mathematics and its Technologies and;
- Human Sciences and its technologies.
These areas are taught according to what is proposed by the National Secondary Education Examination (ENEM), which is currently one of the main means of access to universities.
Learn more about the meaning of And either.
new high school
In 2016, the current Federal Government presented, through a provisional measure, a project to reform the current high school, where the changes would mainly affect the content and format of classes, as well as the preparation of university entrance exams and the AND EITHER. This reform will only take effect from 2021.
The reform proposes that the mandatory content be reduced, favoring five areas of concentration: languages, mathematics, natural sciences, humanities and technical and professional training. The objective is to encourage educational networks to offer students the chance to emphasize one of these areas.
Among the contents, the reform provides that subjects such as physical education, philosophy, sociology and the teaching of the arts will be transferred according to what is within the mandatory content provided for in the Common National Curriculum Base (BNCC), which is being planned.
See also the meaning of schooling, elementary School and University education.