The National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) will support the continuing education of public school teachers in ten states by creating new classes for the Teacher Specialization Program (PED). The information was released today (30) by the institution.
730 teachers will be trained, which should benefit around 292,000 elementary and high school students by 2025. Priority will be given to teachers who work in schools located in vulnerable areas and which have a lower Basic Education Development Index (Ideb).
Coordinated by the Canoa Institute, the initiative foresees the expansion of the program’s network of trainers, whose focus is the teaching of mathematics and natural sciences. The Teaching Specialization Program is developed in partnership by the Canoa Institute, the Lemann Center for Educational Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Brazil, at Stanford University, United States, and 20 Brazilian higher education institutions. The program provides for the opening of 23 training classes in four regions of Brazil.
According to BNDES director Bruno Aranha, the project directly contributes to Goal 16 of the National Education Plan, promoting quality continuous training based on innovative methodologies. “Education is one of the pillars of Brazil’s development. The BNDES is focusing on the challenges to improve the quality of education in the country,” said Aranha.
He highlighted that the project will benefit more than 290,000 public school students, seeking to reduce school dropout rates and improve the country’s educational results.
Enlargement
The network already works with 376 professors from 20 Brazilian higher education institutions. To expand capacity, the project will carry out a training cycle for over 100 PED teachers, which will result in a 26% increase over the current number. There will also be efforts to expand the number of partner institutions and the program’s service to new states, including the Central-West Region, which was not covered, informed the bank. The project’s investments total R$ 11.2 million, and there will also be non-reimbursable financial support from BNDES in the amount of R$ 5.6 million, with resources from the Socio-environmental Fund.
According to the executive director of Instituto Canoa, Mila Molina, the bank’s support for continuing education comes at a very important time for basic education teachers. “After the interruption of face-to-face classes caused by the pandemic, teachers will face the challenge of teaching in extremely heterogeneous classrooms for the next few years. The curriculum of the specialization offered by PED Brasil will help teachers to deal with this new scenario, transforming the heterogeneity of the class into a valuable resource for the learning of all students.”
Program
The PED consists of a postgraduate course Lato sensu (with a workload of 360 classroom hours and duration from 18 to 24 months), developed for teachers of mathematics and natural sciences working in elementary or high school. The course is synchronized with classroom work and emphasizes the connection between theory and practice.
The 20 higher education institutions that make up the Rede PED Brasil offer specialization based on a common curricular structure, on which adaptations are made to the educational contexts of each territory. In practice, the program is divided into ten face-to-face modules that include classes, assignments, readings and classroom activities. In addition, there will be a structured mentoring training, in which each teacher is individually accompanied and supported by a mentor throughout the course.
The topic of education is a strategic priority for the BNDES, whose objective is to contribute to transforming the reality of basic education and promote professional requalification, prioritizing activities related to a new, carbon-neutral and technology-intensive economy.
