Articles | Postado em: 13 January, 2026
From emergency to equity: the case of education for (im)migrant children and youth in northern Brazil
By Jádia Naftali Câmara, PhD in Education, researcher at the University of Bristol, England, and Global Representative for the SETA Project
This UNESCO working paper argues for a transition from humanitarian and emergency-based educational responses to an equitable, continuous, and sustainable education policy for immigrant and refugee children and young people in Brazil. The study focuses on the Northern region, particularly the state of Roraima — the country’s main entry point for Venezuelan migrants, including several Indigenous peoples.
The research examines Brazil’s legal framework for inclusive education, which guarantees the right to education for all individuals regardless of their migration status, and analyses the challenges faced in implementing these policies in everyday public education systems. Conducted between 2023 and 2024, the study adopted a mixed-methods approach, combining interviews, school-based observations, and surveys with teachers, school leaders, families, and local authorities.
Although policies such as National Education Council Resolution No. 1/2020 guarantee migrant and refugee students’ right to enrol in public schools, the article shows that implementation is uneven and often weakened by short-term humanitarian approaches. Key challenges include disruptions to educational trajectories caused by the relocation (interiorização) programme, insufficient specialised teacher training, and the lack of appropriate materials for multilingual students, particularly Warao- and Spanish-speaking learners. Municipal education systems also face difficulties due to unpredictable student mobility and limited financial and institutional resources.
The study highlights that, although schools and teachers are the main actors responsible for the inclusion of newly arrived children, they operate with insufficient systemic and structural support. Nevertheless, locally led initiatives demonstrate strong territorial engagement and point to promising pathways for strengthening more consistent public education policies.
Finally, the article calls on policymakers to adopt a long-term educational planning perspective, moving beyond emergency-based approaches. Its main recommendations include: (1) strengthening inter-institutional coordination to ensure sustainable educational continuity for (im)migrant children and young people; (2) expanding funding for intercultural and multilingual teacher education, particularly tailored to Indigenous students’ needs; (3) formally recognising Indigenous migrants’ rights within education policy; and (4) increasing targeted investment in school infrastructure to respond to fluctuating enrolment and diverse linguistic needs. Ultimately, the study emphasises that equity must guide all levels of education policy and practice, recognising migration and human mobility as enduring social realities.
Introduction
International migration has intensified in Brazil and Latin America since the 2010s, creating a context in which education systems must urgently ensure access to education, student retention, and successful learning trajectories for displaced populations and host communities.
This study explores the challenges of securing the right to education for immigrant and refugee children and young people in Northern Brazil, with a particular focus on the state of Roraima, the main entry point for migrants arriving from Venezuela.
The right to education in Brazilian legislation
Through National Education Council Resolution No. 1/2020, Brazil guarantees the right to enrolment in public education for migrant, refugee, stateless and asylum-seeking children, regardless of their migration status.
Pressure on public education systems
Between 2010 and 2020, the number of immigrant and refugee students in basic education increased by more than 65 per cent, placing particular strain on municipalities, which are responsible for most public education provision.
Policy contradictions
Emergency-based humanitarian responses, such as Operation Welcome (Operação Acolhida), have generated improvised solutions, including the use of adapted commercial buildings as schools and relocation processes that disrupt educational trajectories.
Insufficient resources
The lack of specialised teacher training, appropriate teaching materials, and adequate infrastructure limits the effectiveness of inclusive education policies.
Local practices and school-based initiatives
Despite these challenges, schools and teachers have developed important initiatives, including the recruitment of bilingual teachers, the use of translanguaging approaches, trilingual signage, and strengthened engagement with families.
Conclusion
The education of immigrant and refugee children must be treated as a structural and permanent public policy, grounded in equity, rather than merely as an emergency response.
Read the complete article here.
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Jáfia Naftali Câmara has a PhD in education, is a researcher at the University of Bristol, England, and is an international representative for the SETA Project. Her work falls within sociology of education and critical geography of education. Her interests include politics of education, the political economy of education, and Marxism.
