Illiteracy in Brazil significantly drops in past decade

The illiteracy rate in Brazil decreased significantly in the past decade, while the share among elderly population remains big, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) said Wednesday. According to the IBGE, the illiteracy rate among Brazilians aged 15 and older fell from 12.1 percent in 2001 to 8.6 percent in 2011. But illiteracy was still high among Brazilians older than 60, as 24.8 percent of them could not read or write. In the meantime, only 5.6 percent white citizens aged 15 and older were illiterate in 2011, while the figure was 11.8 percent among the black and mixed-race, the IBGE said. Statistics also showed an improved school enrollment in the country during the past decade. Up to 83.7 percent of teenagers were receiving high school education in 2011, and the number of students in the match grade of their ages rose from 36.9 percent in 2001 to 51.6 percent 10 years later. In addition, the country witnessed a rise in the number of children attending preschool. The figure has jumped from 25.8 to 40.7 percent over the last decade. Meanwhile, higher enrollment rate in preschools reflected positive changes in the job market, as 71.7 percent of mothers whose children attended preschools were employed, but the employment rate of mothers whose children did not fell to 43.9 percent.