"Hundreds of teachers and education workers rallied in Sao Paulo on Wednesday, protesting against state education policies they say threaten public schooling through increasing privatisation and a lack of dialogue with educators. Footage shows protesters chanting slogans, holding banners demanding the resignation of Sao Paulo Secretary of Education Renato Feder, and listening to speeches in the city centre. Demonstrators criticised Governor Tarcisio de Freitas for appointing Feder, arguing that the education chief has failed to engage meaningfully with teachers and school staff. “No matter how much he says he has already held dialogue, he has not. There were no moments or openness for us to truly express ourselves. And we suffered a lot, a lot this year, with a great deal of authoritarianism disguised as advances in the quality of education,” one protester said. Others warned that proposed reforms could pave the way for more privatisation of public education in Brazil’s most populous state. “They have sent projects to privatise 33 schools in the state of Sao Paulo, and here we are, APEOESP, the only workers’ centre defending the Brazilian state, defending the state of Sao Paulo,” another demonstrator stated. The protest was organised by the Union of Teachers of the Official Education System of the State of Sao Paulo (APEOESP), which opposes a package of measures put forward by the state government. These include changes to career progression rules, performance bonuses, and evaluation criteria for teachers. Union leaders argue the proposals risk undermining job security, weakening public education, and shifting control of schools toward private interests, while state authorities maintain the reforms are intended to improve efficiency and learning outcomes."