Many women and youth must work to help support their families. Education consists of 8 years of compulsory elementary education and 3 years of secondary education. Brazil ranks second in the number of primary schools and fifth in the number of university professors. Entrance into one of Brazil's 63 universities is difficult and is preceded by a special college preparation course and entrance exams. About half of secondary-school graduates go on to trade schools.
Brazil has many fine libraries and research centers.
Transportation and Communication A highly developed air-transport system serves 30 major airports and hundreds of landing strips in small interior towns. Public pay telephones, operated with a prepaid token, are common. Telegraph and postal services are generally available and reliable. Theft of packages in the postal service has been a problem in the past, but recent information indicates improvement. Brazil has the fourth largest television network in the world.