The first stage is free and universal compulsory education for 8 years (7- 15 years old), including 4 years in old primary school and 4 years in junior high school, which belongs to the basic education stage. 1-8 grade has four core courses: Portuguese, social knowledge, natural science, literature and art, and physical education. In grades 5-6, subjects of industry, commerce, agriculture and home economics are added. Increase vocational elective courses in grades 7-8. After the completion of the first stage of education, some students continue their studies and most students find jobs to make a living. In order to meet the needs of social labor departments and students' employment, Brazil has also set up primary professional or vocational schools outside ordinary junior high schools, such as primary industrial technical schools and primary agricultural technical schools, and has turned to attaching importance to heuristic teaching and personality development by rote memorization, encouraging students to explore. Schools carry out extracurricular activities to develop students' specialties and hobbies. To this end, children's libraries, museums and activity centers for music, dance, sports, arts and crafts and technicians have been established for children in basic education. Some schools have experimental workshops to train students' skills. The Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education plan to popularize eight-year compulsory education in cities and four-year compulsory education in backward rural and remote areas. Due to the poverty in rural areas, the problem of floating students in the basic education stage is quite serious. Rural formal education is faced with problems such as lack of qualified teachers, poor equipment and insufficient school buildings. At present, the Brazilian school system is giving priority to the development of basic education, striving to strengthen teacher training and providing financial assistance to poor students. Among them, public schools provide free study, lunch and student uniforms.

Secondary education stage

The second stage of general education is secondary education, which is actually high school education. High schools are divided into ordinary high schools and vocational high schools, and the age of admission is 15- 18. The study period of ordinary high school is 3 years, mainly studying the basic knowledge of social science and natural science to prepare students for college. The study period of vocational high schools ranges from 2 to 4 years, and it trains workers and technicians with medium technical level. Vocational and technical education plays an important role in Brazil's secondary education, and the state regards vocational school students as a new force in the future national construction. In order to develop vocational schools, the education law promulgated by 196 1 stipulates that vocational high school graduates can apply for higher education; Establish a scholarship system; Running a school is flexible and diverse. Schools with work-study programs, schools with credit system and vocational schools emphasize the combination of learning and application.

Secondary and higher education

Higher education in the Brazilian academic system includes comprehensive universities and colleges.

Institutions of higher learning train senior experts, scientists and senior engineers and technicians needed by the country. The length of undergraduate study in comprehensive universities varies from 2 to 6 years, depending on the major. Major in aviation (navigation and driving) and diplomacy is 2 years; Philosophy, literature, journalism and sports are three years; Sociology, library science, economics, mathematics, physics, chemistry, nursing, medicine, etc. All four years; Architecture, engineering, law, etc. 5 years; Medicine, mining, metallurgy, art, etc. It was six years. Agricultural college and veterinary college are four years. Colleges and universities recruit students in a unified way throughout the country and adopt the credit system for teaching management. Since the 1960s, Brazil's higher education system has strengthened postgraduate training, the professional structure has changed, and the proportion of natural science, engineering technology and economics has increased.

Since 1970s, Brazil's education system has attached great importance to supplementary education for adults, and conducted primary and secondary education for adults through the establishment of a national audiovisual education network. But students spend a lot during this period.