Precarious school structures and the lack of medicines in the bases were cited as the main challenges faced in indigenous territories.
The reports took place this Thursday (12), during the 55th General Assembly of Indigenous Peoples, with the presence of representatives of agencies that work directly with indigenous education and health. The leaders shared the challenges faced by residents to access education and health services.
The first table, on education, dealt with the construction and renovation of schools, strengthening of the Raposa Serra do Sol Indigenous Training and Culture Center, Insikiran Institute, school transportation, among other topics.
"The construction of the school is too slow. The workers are stopped for lack of payment. Meanwhile, our children continue to study under the mango tree", vented one of the leaders of the Serras region.
The school to which he referred is in the indigenous community of São Mateus, in the Serras region, municipality of Uiramutã.
According to reports from the leaders, in the Murupú region there is a school that has been waiting for renovation for 25 years. Students are afraid to stay inside the structure, as it can collapse at any moment, and school transport keeps breaking down, which harms students.
And so other complaints, demands and suggestions arose in order to improve the work of school education in indigenous communities.
Esley Tenente, coordinator of the Organization of Indigenous Teachers of Roraima (OPIRR), took advantage of the space and spoke about the construction and renovation of schools, also mentioning the units built by the communities themselves.
"One of the biggest problems in the regions and communities is the issue of physical spaces for indigenous students. We have a parliamentary amendment by former deputy Joenia Wapichana that, if we don't go after it, we will lose. So I ask that, at the end of this assembly, a document be sent to the Federal Public Ministry so that these schools can be built", asked the coordinator of OPIRR.
In the plenary, the municipal secretary of Education of Uiramutã, Damázio de Souza, presented the number of schools and a survey of existing needs.
"We have a great challenge for the construction of schools. Our resources are few. There are 26 schools to build, 6 for expansion, 3 for renovation and 7 schools that need a sports court. We emphasize to the FNDE that our reality is different: access is difficult and the amounts that companies charge for the delivery of the material are high. We need support to get the projects off the ground", said the secretary.
Jailda Teixeira, from the Barata community, Tabaio region, complained about the delay in the renovation of the school and demanded the participation of Mikael Cury, state secretary of Education, who was invited, but did not attend the assembly.
"The students are there studying in the open. The renovation has begun, but so far it has not been completed, and there are only four blocks. The secretary should be here listening to our demands, because who is going to solve our problems?"questioned the leadership.
Higher education was also discussed, recalling the history of struggle to have access to specific and differentiated education, such as the creation of the Insikiran Indigenous Higher Education Institute, at the Federal University of Roraima (UFRR). The creation of the institute took place through the Canaunim Charter, a demand of the indigenous movement of Roraima, presented by indigenous teachers and students.
Currently, about a thousand indigenous students are attending higher education at the institution, in the courses of Indigenous Territorial Management, Indigenous Collective Health and Intercultural Licensure.
"To facilitate access to education, the Insikiran Institute no longer has an entrance exam or fee. To enter, students go through a selection process. However, one of the challenges is to stay in the course, because in the city things are not easy and we have had some dropouts for this reason. The Permanence Scholarship is offered, but it is not enough. We, as well as the dean Geraldo Ticianeli, are working to change this reality and house students in a suitable place", stressed Herundino Ribeiro, professor at Insikiran.
The professor pointed out that Insikiran is one of the few institutions in Brazil with differentiated teaching and said that the General Assembly of Indigenous Peoples is part of the school calendar of the Territorial Management course.
The table was composed of representatives of the National Fund for the Development of Education (FNDE), the State Department of Education, the Insikiran Institute, the State Center for the Training of Education Professionals of Roraima (CEFORR), the Organization of Indigenous Teachers of Roraima (OPIRR), the Indigenous Center for Training and Culture Raposa Serra do Sol (CIFCRSS) and the Municipal Secretariats of Education of Normandia and Uiramutã.
The questions and demands were heard by the representatives of the institutions, who clarified doubts and highlighted that some situations follow administrative procedures to be resolved.
Indigenous health
Indigenous health was also addressed. The table was attended by Lindinalva Marques, coordinator of the Special Indigenous Sanitary District East of Roraima (DSEI Leste/RR), representatives of the District Council of Indigenous Health (Condisi), Ministry of Health and Municipal Health Secretariat of Uiramutã.
Leaders from the Alto Cauamé, Amajari, Baixo Cotingo, Murupú, Raposa, Serras, Serra da Lua and Wai Wai ethnoregions pointed out the lack of basic medicines in the communities, the precariousness of health centers and the lack of logistics to transport patients in places of difficult access.
Lindinalva Marques gave a brief summary of the actions developed by the DSEI in the territories since she took office in 2025.
"We have developed some actions in the regions, taken medicines to the communities, drilled wells in some places and were in Brasília taking the challenges faced by the lack of water in the communities. We are advancing more and more", he said.
However, the reality lived in the communities was contested by the leaders. Felipe Macuxi, from the Raposa region, said that the lack of medicines has complicated the lives of patients even more.
"There is a lack of basic medicine and transportation in our region."
Another leader directly charged the performance of the DSEI coordination.
"Coordinator, when you took over the DSEI in 2025, you made a commitment to indigenous health that is not being fulfilled. In the Barrerinha community, four people died due to lack of a car to transport the sick. How many more will have to die to be cared for?", he questioned.
The leaders also denounced the lack of fuel for vehicles and the arrival of medicines close to expiration.
Paulo Ricardo, Deputy General Tuxaua of the CIR, used the plenary to criticize the political use of the DSEI space.
"Indigenous health is a conquered space, and conquered space is not negotiable. The DSEI is the result of the struggle of the indigenous movement. It was discussed in assemblies that entered at dawn. We do not accept this. I ask you to respect that space and our struggle", he said.
At the Campo Formoso base center, according to reports, dental care is being carried out in precarious conditions.
Telmo Ribeiro pointed out that the complaints made in the plenary should serve as a reflection so that the demands are taken to Brasília and result in changes in the management of indigenous health.
The complaints took place in the presence of Potira Sacuena, director of the Department of Primary Attention to Indigenous Health (DAPSI), who represented the Secretary of Indigenous Health of the Ministry of Health, Weibe Tapeba.
In response to the leaders' speeches, the director said that some demands, such as those related to airstrips, depend on partnerships between SESAI, Funai and ANAC. She also highlighted that SESAI's role is to offer primary care to indigenous health and that the information presented will compose a report that will be forwarded to the secretary.
Querginaldo Tomaz, Secretary of Health and Sanitation of Uiramutã, highlighted the actions developed by the secretariat, such as the construction of health posts and basic health units in indigenous communities.
"We are working in partnership. The next step is to sign an agreement with SESAI. We also plan to hire more doctors to serve the communities", he said.
Lindinalva Marques spoke again and asked for support from leaders to improve health management.
"I have done my best to improve indigenous health, but I need your help. Make reports and report employees who are not serving the communities. I also ask that communities that are without medicines send documents to the DSEI so that we can take the necessary measures", he said.
The plenary on health entered the night, ending the program on March 12. The expectation of the assembly is that, after the reports, the necessary measures will be adopted by the responsible institutions.