Brazilian National Anthem Sparks Controversy in Schools

A controversy erupted in Brazil on February 25 when Education Minister Ricardo Velez Rodriguez requested that schools film students reciting the national anthem and President Jair Bolsonaro’s campaign slogan. Activists quickly came out against this, and Rodriguez withdrew the proposal the next day.

The education ministry had emailed instructions to schools across the country asking them to film their students without parental consent. The email stated that the students should recite the national anthem and repeat “Brazil above everything. God above everything,” which is President Bolsonaro’s campaign slogan.

Educational experts immediately criticized the program. The education ministry in the state of Pernambuco refused to comply, a move numerous school principals have followed throughout the country. In response to this new policy, the Brazilian Union of High School Students began a viral campaign where they urged students to instead post videos of their dilapidated classrooms. The education system in Brazil is underserved: schools faces high illiteracy rates and a shortage of teachers as they remain both underfunded and understaffed.

In addition to general backlash, the instructions from the national education ministry faced a multitude of legal issues. First and foremost, it is illegal to film children without parental consent, which the ministry did not require schools to seek. There is also a law against the federal government facilitating electoral campaigning in Brazil, which the inclusion of Boslonaro’s slogan ostensibly violates. Additionally, Brazil’s constitution mandates a separation between church and state, meaning the reference to God in the speech is potentially illegal.

The Bolsonaro government appeared to be split over the policy proposal. Damares Alves, minister of women, family, and human rights, claimed that the guidelines were just one part of a larger shift towards patriotism that the Bolsonaro administration has championed. In contrast, Bolsonaro’s vice president, Hamilton Mourão, stated in a radio interview that the policy was illegal, but he supported the promotion of the national anthem.

This is not the first time that Bolsonaro and Rodriguez have created an education related controversy. Both are major supporters of the Schools without Parties movement, which claims that public schools in Brazil brainwash students with leftist propaganda. This movement has called for students to film their teachers in order to produce proof of leftist indoctrination.

Activists have pointed out that their support of this movement while they simultaneously enforce a policy requiring students to recite campaign slogans is incongruent.

After widespread public outrage, Rodriguez announced on February 26 that he removed the campaign slogan from the text, and would acquire parental consent before filming the children. Within a day the government essentially retreated from the policy due to backlash.