The unfulfilled promise of education for creative economy in Brazil

Abstract

The aim is to examine why the promise that education for creative economy could be the engine for socioeconomic development – present in the academic work on creative economy and the political discourse of some leaders and political parties – remains unfulfilled in Brazil. The central argument indicates that the promise was unfulfilled because the maintenance of rigid curricular guidelines in basic, secondary and higher education limits the development of skills and abilities to deal with the constant transformations of creative economy. The unfulfillment of this promise can also be explained by the fact that the financial crisis – motivated by the adverse international economic situation and the political chaos caused by allegations of corruption and misappropriation of funds by politicians and businessmen – made the Brazilian government reduce investments in research and the maintenance of public institutions. The private institutions of basic and secondary education which prepare students for creative economy charge high monthly fees, which is not affordable for the greatest part of Brazilian population, and the Brazilian state does not seem to work to extend this education model for other public and private schools. Many private universities also suffer from the limitation of student financing programs. The transdisciplinarity among the three knowledge pillars of creative economy – technical / scientific, cultural / creative and business pillars –, as well as the valuation of traditional knowledge and practices and the formation of critical thinking in the light of political-economic and socio-cultural dynamics, is being ruined in Brazil.