Ricardo Vélez Rodríguez (born 15 November 1943) is a Colombian-Brazilian philosopher[1] and former Minister of Education of Brazil.

In 1974 he received a master's degree from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro and in 1982 received a doctorate in philosophy from Universidade Gama Filho.

[2][1] He is a professor of religion at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora.

[3] Rodríguez is a fierce critic of the Workers' Party, the Brazilian National High School Exam, and is a proponent of the "Escola sem Partido" ("Nonpartisan School") project.

[6] On 22 November 2018, Brazilian President-elect Jair Bolsonaro announced that Rodríguez would serve as Brazil's Minister of Education in the coming administration.