OECD: 9% of teachers in Brazil do not have full qualifications

Nine percent of public basic education teachers in Brazil did not have full qualifications between 2024 and 2025, according to a report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released this Tuesday (29). The percentage is close to the organization’s country average, of 9.1%. The indicator considers teachers without a degree, without certification, or without pedagogical training.

The Education Panorama 2026 (Education at a Glance) points out that hiring teachers without the qualifications considered standard often occurs because of a shortage of professionals. This year’s publication analyzes the causes of the shortage of teachers and its impacts on education systems.

In Brazil, the shortage of teachers is more pronounced in certain regions and subjects. According to the OECD, recruitment difficulties are usually greater in remote or more vulnerable areas and are concentrated especially in mathematics and natural sciences.

“The teacher is decisive for learning. It is the teacher who notices where each student has difficulties, adapts teaching and helps turn knowledge into life possibilities. That is why valuing teachers is a choice about Brazil’s future,” said Ricardo Henriques, executive superintendent of the Instituto Unibanco.

More teachers

Despite the reduction in the number of students, Brazil expanded the number of teachers in the early years of elementary school. Between 2015 and 2024, the number of teachers grew 4%, while enrollment fell 7%.

In OECD countries, the number of public and private primary school teachers increased by 13% on average over the period, while the number of students grew 2%.

The OECD projects that the number of children aged 5 to 14 in Brazil will fall 3% between 2024 and 2033. The trend, if other policies remain unchanged, should reduce the demand for teachers.

Training and retention

For Ricardo Henriques, executive superintendent of the Instituto Unibanco, the issue should not be analyzed only by the number of trained teachers.

“It is necessary to know who arrives at school, with what training, to teach which subject, in which territory and for how long they can remain,” he said.

The report shows that professionals leaving also contributes to the shortage. In Brazil, 10.3% of fully qualified teachers left the profession in 2022, due to retirement or resignation. In OECD countries, the average rate was 6.4% in the 2024-2025 school year.

According to Henriques, the indicator does not necessarily mean that all professionals have abandoned teaching. Some of them may have moved, for example, to private schools. Even so, the data represents a challenge to retaining teachers in public school systems.

Salaries and working conditions

The OECD points out that salaries, working conditions, relationships with students and families, school climate, professional autonomy and public recognition influence the attractiveness of the teaching career.

In Brazil, 44.3% of teachers in the final years of elementary school were satisfied with working conditions in 2022. The OECD country average was 68.4%.

Regarding salaries, 22.3% of Brazilian teachers were satisfied, compared with 38.7% on average in the organization.

The Ministry of Education (MEC) says it maintains a policy of salary appreciation and highlights the National Teaching Minimum Salary, currently at R$ 5,130.63.

Policies for teaching

As a response to the shortage, the MEC cites the Mais Professores para o Brasil program, created in 2025, with actions aimed at valuing the teaching career.

Another initiative is Pé-de-Meia Licenciaturas, aimed at attracting students to teacher training courses. According to Education Minister Leonardo Barchini, the program increased enrollment by 106% among high-performing students in the National High School Exam (Enem) in licensure courses between 2024 and 2026.

“With Pé-de-Meia Licenciaturas, we increased by 106% the enrollment of high-performing students in the Enem, from 2024 to 2026. More and more, young people are seeing teaching as a life project,” Barchini said in a note to the press.

Among the training measures, the MEC also cites the annual monitoring of the quality of licensure courses through the National Student Performance Exam (Enade), the strengthening of the Institutional Program for Teaching Initiation Scholarships (Pibid) and the overhaul of initial training.

“There are still historical challenges to overcome, but Brazil has once again adopted a structured, continuous and comprehensive policy to train, attract, recognize and value its teachers,” Barchini said.

Second career

The entry into teaching of professionals who have already worked in other areas is pointed to by the OECD as a strategy to address teacher shortages.

In Brazil, 11.5% of teachers in the final years of elementary school were in a second career in 2024. The average among OECD countries was 8.4%.

Education at a Glance is published annually by the OECD and brings together indicators that allow comparison of the education systems of participating countries. Brazil has taken part in the publication since 1997. In the country, the National Institute for Educational Studies and Research Anísio Teixeira (Inep) is responsible for processing the data and calculating the national indicators.