Teacher remuneration in Brazil and the dispute of the public fund (2008–2020)

Abstract

This paper analyzes teacher remuneration within Brazilian basic education, as a constituent of the public fund. The public fund, due to its nature and characteristics, is disputed across different social sectors, either for the reproduction and accumulation of capital or for the reproduction of the workforce. Specifically in terms of the teaching workforce, during most of the period from 2008 to 2020, its reproduction witnessed favorable gains, by means of the public fund. However, this was reversed, after the fiscal austerity established with the approval of Constitutional Amendment No. 95/2016. The text includes national data published in official sites and by federal government institutes, as well as other documentation. The dispute over the public fund among the Brazilian social classes precariously repositions the reproduction of the teaching workforce, in terms of remuneration and employment contract, with serious implications for the right to education and the quality of basic education.