The Mixed Parliamentary Front of Education, consisting of 207 federal deputies and 22 senators, appealed to the Federal Court of Audit (TCU) to reevaluate the Decision Suspend R $ 6 billion from the Educational Support Program. In a letter sent on Friday (24) to Minister Vital do Rêgo, president of the Court, the National Congress Bench in the National Congress says that the suspension can generate “serious damage” to beneficiary students. Created last year, the program serves 3.9 million young people across the country, with annual investment of R $ 12.5 billion.
“The PTO Program is essential for improving learning and evolution in educational results. According to data from the 2022 Basic Education Census, the dropout rate among students from public networks was 6.4%, And with the implementation of the program, this rate is expected to be significantly reduced, ensuring that younger people remain in school. In addition, the linking of financial incentives to attendance and school conclusion has a great potential for improved school performance, To the extent that studies point out that student permanence is associated with better educational results, “says an excerpt from the craft.
In a session on Wednesday (22), the TCU plenary unanimously upheld a precautionary decision by Minister Augusto Nardes that suspends the execution of $ 6 billion of the program. The measure was taken from an action proposed by Deputy Attorney General Lucas Rocha Furtado, from the Public Prosecution Service with the TCU (MPTCU), which claimed that the amounts used for the program’s credit were out of the budget.
The sock pays a $ 200 allowance per student during the school year and another annual savings of $ 1,000 for those who are approved, but can only be drawn up after the completion of high school. There is also financial support for enrollment and to encourage the student to perform the National High School Exam (Enem). In all, each student can receive up to R $ 9,200 at the end of the three years of this stage of education. The program’s financing has been taking place with resources from different private law funds fueled by the Union’s public resources, under the management of Caixa Econômica Federal.
“Blocking resource can compromise the continuity of the program and, consequently, compromise the advances already achieved and the potential impacts. Interruption of benefit payment can lead to increased dropout, compromising academic performance and exclusion of thousands of Young people from the educational system “, highlight the parliamentarians in the letter to TCU. The letter asks the court to reconsider the decision to block appeals and evaluate the viability of a solution to the impasse, reconciling “the principles of efficiency in public management with the urgent needs” of Brazilian education.
Despite the blockade, Finance Minister Fernando Haddad assured this Thursday (23) that the Step Program will not be interrupted. According to him, the spending packet approved at the end of last year establishes measures that place the program in the Union Budget, although the Attorney General’s Office (AGU) has expressed concerns, in an appeal presented to the TCU to prevent the suspension from preventing the suspension of the transfers maintained by the court.
