PG wants to expand full-time education for 100% of municipal network students
Plan published by the Municipality foresees gradual expansion of slots; currently, nearly 25 thousand students are attended in full-time education in the city
Prefeitura de Ponta Grossa has published a plan to expand full-time education and reach 100% of the municipal network students in the coming years. The document, prepared by the Municipal Secretariat of Education, was released in the edition of Wednesday (21) of the Official Journal of the Municipality and sets goals for the gradual expansion of care, including the creation of new vacancies, the adequacy of schools and the expansion of the educational structure.
According to the survey presented by the municipal administration, 24,983 students are already attended full-time, the equivalent of 81.25% coverage, according to the index reported in the plan. Currently, the network has approximately 32,177 students distributed among Educação Infantil, Elementary Education and other modalities of educational care.
The aim of the City Council is to progressively increase the number of students who remain in the institutions during the day, considering the availability of financial resources, the structure of schools and the need for hiring professionals.
Ponta Grossa has 75 full-time municipal schools
According to the diagnosis of the Municipal Secretariat of Education, elaborated with information of July 2026, Ponta Grossa has 160 educational units, including 88 municipal schools and 72 Municipal Centers of Educação Infantil (CMEIs). Of the 88 municipal schools, 75 operate full-time. The 72 CMEIs are classified by the document as integral care units.
The survey presents the following distribution of students:
Elementary Education: 18,262 students, of which 13,114 are attended full-time;
Educação Infantil: 12,955 students, of which 11,869 are full-time;
Youth and Adult Education (EJA): 56 students;
Multifunctional Resource Rooms and Specialized Educational Care (SEC): 904 students.
Despite the coverage already registered, the municipality still has schools that operate part-time, which requires adaptations to extend the stay of students.
Plan foresees expansion of vacancies by 2027
The Comprehensive Education Expansion Plan sets short-, medium- and long-term goals to gradually increase the full-time education supply. By 2027, the forecast is to expand the attendance of approximately 500 students, corresponding to about 2% of the municipal network, with offer in new units.
For the medium term, considered a period of two to five years, the planning foresees expansion to approximately 1,250 students, equivalent to about 5% of students.
In the long term, between five and ten years, the goal presented is to expand the attendance to approximately 4,500 students. These numbers represent projections foreseen in the municipal planning, and not vacancies that are already available for enrollment.
The document establishes as a general objective to reach 100% of the students of the municipal network, but does not determine a specific date for the universalization of integral education.
Expansion will depend on works, professionals and school feeding
To put the plan into practice, the City recognizes that it will be necessary to invest in the infrastructure of the institutions, expand the work teams and adapt the services offered to students. Among the measures envisaged are the construction of new school units, according to financial availability, and the adequacy of the physical spaces of the schools that currently serve part-time.
The Municipal Secretariat of Education also points to the need to expand the framework of teachers and support professionals. Another challenge will be school feeding, since the increase in the time spent by students requires a structure capable of ensuring adequate meals during the journey.
The implementation will take place gradually, according to the structural, financial and operational capacity of the municipal network.
How does full-time education work in Ponta Grossa?
The document states that the full-time school day must be at least seven hours a day. In the pedagogical organization described for municipal schools, curricular activities, food, recreation and complementary projects are provided.
In addition to the mandatory contents, the institutions will be able to develop curricular enrichment activities, including choir, dance, sports practices and other projects appropriate to the reality of each school. The proposal seeks to promote not only the extension of the length of stay in the units, but also the social, cultural, emotional and intellectual development of students.
The planning also highlights the importance of strengthening the relationship between schools, families and communities, in addition to contributing to the improvement of learning and the reduction of low school attendance.
The City Council should follow the results of the expansion.
The implementation of the plan will be under the responsibility of the Municipal Secretariat of Education, in partnership with the management teams of the institutions. The document provides for annual monitoring of actions, preparation of periodic reports and monitoring of indicators such as school attendance, academic performance, full-time enrolment and age-series distortion.
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Despite the announced goals, the plan does not present a nominal list of schools that will be contemplated first by the expansion, nor an individualized calendar of works and opening of vacancies. The document also did not disclose a specific budget for the implementation of all stages.
The expectation presented by the municipal administration is that the gradual expansion of integral education will contribute to improve learning conditions and increase access to public education in Ponta Grossa.
