Resources total R $ 32.5 million and are now available for the use of federative entities. Measure aims to ensure more equity in the school transport of children and youth, especially in the northern region
The MEC (Ministry of Education), through the FNDE (National Fund for the Development of Education), made the payment of R $ 32,531,311.09 for the 50% additional for water transport, announced at the end of 2024. THE Focus is the improvement of students’ displacement conditions, especially in states in the northern region, such as Pará, Amazonas, Acre and Amapá.
According to Minister Camilo Santana (Education), the transfer seeks to ensure more equity in the transport of children and youth, especially in the northern region of Brazil, where waterway transport – by Mar and Rio – is essential for access to education. “With this feature, we are serving students from geographically more complex, more difficult access, with many rivers, who need to go to school by boat. We are seeking to ensure quality transportation and safely so that young people and children can attend school, especially those from the northern region ”he explained.
The funds were passed on through the PNATE (National Program for Support for School Transportation). It aims to fund the expenses with the maintenance and operation of vehicles and vessels used in the school transport of students resident in rural areas.
The values are now available for federative entities, and transfers mainly meet the states of the northern region, which face more challenges related to school transportation. Pará, for example, received $ 18.7 million, while Amazonas received $ 9.3 million. Other states also benefited, such as Acre (R $ 2.2 million) and Amapá (R $ 876 thousand), which together add up to the amount.
Waterway transportation is essential for students who reside in hard -to -reach areas, where distances and lack of road infrastructure make land transport often unfeasible. However, this modality faces additional challenges, such as the high cost of maintaining vessels, the precariousness of waterway and the seasonality of weather conditions. According to FNDE President Fernanda Pacobahyba, “Pnate’s priority is to ensure that these students, especially those living in isolated locations, can access basic education safely and regularly.”.
In states such as Pará and Amazonas, where the Waterway School Transport Network is one of the most extensive in the country, increasing resource transfers is fundamental to ensure the continuity of service and the improvement of the quality of service.
The National Program for Support for School Transportation It aims to support the school transportation of public basic education students resident in rural areas, through technical and financial assistance. Automatic transfer of funds is made directly to states, municipalities and the Federal District to fund maintenance expenses, fuels, insurance and other operating costs of vehicles or vessels used in school transportation.
The funds are calculated based on the school census and distributed in two annual installments, preferably in March and August. The program is executed by the FNDE, the autarchy responsible for the transfers and the supervision of the application of resources.
The program aims to serve students from rural areas, which often depend on alternative transport modalities, such as waterway, because of the lack of road infrastructure.
This effort is not only intended to ensure access to education, but also to promote equity and inclusion, especially for children and young people from farther regions, such as northern Brazil.
With information from.
