The Amazonas Public Defender's Office (DPE-AM) found infrastructure, air conditioning and electrical network problems in two state schools in Manaus during an inspection carried out on Friday (25). In one of the units, students study in rooms with broken air conditioning units. In the other, students have been without classes for almost 30 days due to problems with the electrical network and a renovation.
The inspection was carried out by the Intersectoral Working Group for the Defense of Education and Citizenship (Gidec) at the state schools Maria de Lourdes Rodrigues Arruda, in the Central-West Zone, and Hermenegildo de Campos, in the South Zone. The two units were among the schools with the highest number of complaints made by parents and teachers.
At Maria de Lourdes Rodrigues Arruda State School, which has 480 students enrolled, teachers reported difficulties after the unit switched to a full-time model. Among the problems are the lack of space for students to rest, the situation of the court, which has no coverage, and the need for renovations in the bathrooms and changing rooms.
According to the Public Defender's Office, the painting of the court was paid for by the teachers themselves.
The inspection also identified that the school has more than 15 neurodivergent students and only two assistant teachers to accompany them in the classroom.
Furthermore, air conditioning units are broken in the unit's rooms. The situation makes it difficult for students and teachers to stay there, especially during the period of high temperatures in Manaus.
"What we hear most is the students' difficulty in studying in the heat and that many structural problems, such as painting the court and urgent repairs, are being remedied by the employees themselves", highlighted the public defender and member of Gidec, Arlindo Gonçalves.
Jaiane Mourão, 35 years old, is the mother of a 7th year student at Escola Estadual Maria de Lourdes Rodrigues Arruda. She said that her daughter has often asked not to go to class because of the heat.
According to Jaiane, the situation worsened with the high temperatures recorded in Manaus in recent days. On Tuesday (22), the capital of Amazonas recorded 38.6°C, the highest temperature of the year.
"As parents, we realize that there is a desire on the part of the school management and teachers to solve the problems, but that does not depend on them. I myself have already filed three complaints with the Department of Education and Sports, reporting the problems here, and I never received a response. The education and future of our children are at stake, and that is why we need to question them. This inspection helps a lot, because we depend on it now", he highlighted.
In the South Zone of Manaus, the Hermenegildo de Campos State School also faces problems with the electrical network. The situation began in early September and compromised the functioning of air conditioning units.
Because of the problems, the unit underwent renovations and students have been away from school activities for almost 30 days.
The expectation informed to parents is that the students will be temporarily transferred to the Professor Antenor Sarmento State School, also in the South Zone.
"In the month of August, due to the capital's weather conditions, the electricity network could not support the use of air conditioning units. We spoke with the school management and understood that classes were suspended, with a temporary move to another location", concluded public defender Arlindo Gonçalves.
g1 sought out the Government of Amazonas and the State Secretariat for Education and School Sports (Seduc) to comment on the problems identified in schools and the measures planned to resolve them, but until the last update of this report, there was no response.
Friday's inspection was the second carried out by Gidec. Last Monday (21), the group was at the Vasco Vasques State School, in the East Zone of Manaus.
In the unit, the Defender's Office found problems such as the lack of adequate refrigeration in the space used to store school meals. Textbooks were also found stored without use or distribution, as well as copies scattered throughout different areas of the school.
The Intersectoral Working Group for the Defense of Education and Citizenship was created in August 2026. The initiative emerged after the latest survey of the Basic Education Development Index (Ideb), which found Amazonas to have the lowest secondary education performance in the country, with 3.8 points.
The index considers students' performance in Portuguese Language and Mathematics and school approval rates.
Since the creation of the group, the Defender's Office states that it monitors the application of mandatory minimum resources in education and the way in which the money is allocated and used.
Among the areas monitored are the minimum salary for teachers, the lack of professionals, school meals and the resumption of work in daycare centers and schools that are currently at a standstill.
