Education: Fun in Rio

• Share

While General Goes Monteiro, Chief of Staff of Brazil's Army, last week basked in a warm welcome from the U. S. Government, U. S. educators found Brazil's capital, Rio de Janeiro, somewhat chillier.

The World Federation of Education Associations, a nonpolitical, nonsectarian, decidedly conservative organization, this year accepted Brazil's invitation to hold its biennial conference (from August 6 to 11) in Rio de Janeiro. Few weeks ago, after some Federation members had already started to roll down to Rio, Brazil's Government (in which General Goes Monteiro's Army is potent) abruptly called the meeting off.

Investigating this strange change of heart, the U. S. State Department learned that the Army had smelled a Red rat: they did not like the radical sound of World Federation of Education Associations. Brazil's Government politely said that Rio de Janeiro would be glad to wine and dine the world's teachers but drew the line at a formal meeting.

This rebuff left Federation officials with the problems of: 1) 700 disappointed delegates, who had looked forward to fun in Rio, and 2) where to hold their meeting. Last week they neatly got around their difficulty. Accepting the Government's explanation that the invitation had been withdrawn, not for political reasons, but only because a new convention hall had not been completed, they decided to go to Rio for their fun, hold their meetings afterward on the homeward cruising S. S. Rotterdam.