Education in Brazil is a "disgrace," Brazilian Education Minister Mendonça Filho said on Monday.

Speaking at a congressional hearing on education, Filho said, "the education results are depressing. Brazil is celebrating mediocrity, that's the truth."

The hearing was held to debate a measure submitted by the government in September to reform middle school education.

"If we analyze any indicator, such as PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) or a competitivity ranking, we will find ourselves in a humiliating situation. Brazil is a disgrace in educational terms, by any measure," said Filho.

The minister said the proposed reform, which calls for making changes to classrooms, as well as to the educational material, was a solution.

Including subjects unrelated to the student's chosen field of study, he said, was a "disincentive" and led to higher dropout rates.

The current system is outmoded and "fails to speak" to the interests of the students, said Filho.