Brazil Enacts National Education System to Coordinate Policy Across All Levels of Government

Overview

• President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed the SNE into law on October 31 during a ceremony at the Palácio do Planalto, with the law taking effect upon publication.
• The framework establishes coordinated governance under the Education Ministry while respecting state, Federal District and municipal autonomy.
• New intergovernmental bodies—Cite at the national level and Cibe in each state—will negotiate duties and approve the CAQ calculation model, drawing on SUS-style management forums.
• The law creates the national education data infrastructure (Inde) and designates the CPF as the mandatory unique student identifier (Inue) to track schooling from early childhood through university and support faster dropout interventions.
• The measure introduces the CAQ as a reference for per‑student investment to inform financing and redistribution, and gives federative entities up to two years to align their legal and administrative norms, with education groups praising the step while pressing for clarity on funding and data governance.