as set out by the brazilian constitution, the main responsibility for basic education is attributed to the states and municipalities. hence, a historical feature of brazilian basic education is its extremely decentralized nature, which gives great organizational autonomy to sub-national governments (27 states and 5,546 municipalities) in organizing their educational systems. early childhood education, from 0–6 years, is under exclusive responsibility of the municipalities. responsibility for compulsory primary education from 1st to 9th grades is shared between states and municipalities. kindergarten and pre-school education are the responsibility of local levels of government, whereas secondary schools are under the responsibility of the states. maintenance of the system, including salaries, the definition of teacher career structures and supervision of early childhood, primary, and secondary levels (which make up basic education) is decentralized, and these levels are responsible for defining their respective curriculum content.