Brasília – Brazil will be “a better country to live in” by 2022, when it will celebrate 200 years of independence. The forecast was made by the Brazilian minister of Strategic Affairs, Samuel Pinheiro Guimarães, who participated today (24th) in the show Bom Dia, Ministro (Good Morning, Minister), broadcast live from the capital Brasília in open signal by the Brazilian Communications by state-owned communication company to radio stations across the country.
According to Pinheiro Guimarães, 12 years from now, the country will be less unequal and will have eliminated extreme poverty. As provided for in the Brazil Plan 2022, the end of abject poverty will take place, among other things, through educational inclusion: the eradication of illiteracy and universal adoption of full-time schooling for children and youths aged 4 to 17.
The minister told radio stations that full-time teaching takes children off the streets, reduces “excessive exposure” to commercial TV, internet and video games, and reduces the youth’s vulnerability to violence. Universal adoption will take place by means of improving the quality of teaching, which will be made equal to that of develop countries, and by increasing the university population to 10 million people, roughly twice as much as the current figure.
Improving educational profile is a strategic measure for Pinheiro Guimarães, who believes that the country will need to triple the number of graduated civil engineers, for instance. “For each 1 million reals [US$ ] invested, we need one new engineer,” calculated the minister.
The plan includes several goals that will demand infrastructure investment, such as doubling the per capita energy consumption, half of which should be supplied by renewable sources (such as hydroelectric plants) and by four new nuclear plants. To the minister of Strategic Affairs, the country needs to increase geological knowledge of mineral wealth, and map out, in 12 years, 60% of the Amazonian territory and 100% of the remaining national territory.
The Brazil Plan 2022 forecasts annual economic growth of 7%. To Pinheiro Guimarães, this is the “rate required in order to reduce the distance between Brazil and developed countries.” the minister believes that the target will be met through foreign and domestic investment, including funds for the FIFA World Cup 2014 and the 2016 Olympics.
The goals of the Brazil Plan 2022, which were disclosed in April, are still in the process of consultation and elaboration. The Secretariat of Strategic Affairs has submitted the plan to 20,000 civil society organizations, and to former ministers of Finance and former presidents of the Republic (José Sarney, Fernando Collor, Itamar Franco and Fernando Henrique Cardoso).
Samuel Pinheiro Guimarães informed that any person may enter the secretariat’s website, access the Brazil Plan 2022 (http://www.sae.gov.br/brasil2022/) and make suggestions and comments. The minister said that he will suggest to president Lula that the plan be forwarded, after the consultation process, for approval by the National Congress. “This is not a plan by this government, this is a plan by Brazil,” said the minister, who informed that the document will be useful for elaborating future plans and federal budgets.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
