An upcoming challenge
22.05.23 - 12h16
Paulo Mendes Pinto
The recent visit to Portugal by Lula da Silva, President of Brazil, may have provided important answers for those who question the validity and interest of Lusophony. Although the steps were cautious and scarce, on this visit, which included the Minister of Education, Camilo Santana, education was a central field in the debates around the agreement signed between the two States, a complement to the Treaty of Friendship celebrated in April 2000 .
In a context where in Brazil there is an increasingly strong awareness of the fragility of initial teacher training, where the average grade at the end of training is 3.6 out of 10, Portugal presents itself as a possibility of help in this process of qualifying a faculty that is in great need of training.
In this sense, and opening doors of the utmost importance, Camilo Santana stated: “We want to resume the training of Brazilian teachers in Portugal. We have hundreds of agreements with Brazilian and Portuguese universities [...] we will discuss and see if at the next summit meeting, next year, we can address this issue” - Diário de Petrópolis
In the media of initial teacher training, the difficulties that Brazilian institutions have in launching the debate on this training or, moreover, in implementing changes in training models are often referred to. Bernadete Gatti, a specialist at UFMG, states: “In higher education institutions, we have difficulties to implement a discussion capable of causing transformations. This is because, once a context of new ideas and differentiated action proposals is mobilized, structural parts of the institution will have to be changed. And changes are not always welcome for people, there is usually resistance” - Federal University of Minas Gerais
In this context, an external reality can make a difference, creating new challenges and bringing new models.
If the debate on initial teacher training has already started, with the creation, by the Ministry of Education of Brazil, of a working group destined to discuss the theme, continuing training should be the next dossier to be opened. Portugal will be able to make its contribution, supporting new questions and proposing methodologies that help Brazil and frankly improve this deficient initial training.
The Lusophone Teaching project, whose mission is to contribute to the development of Portuguese-speaking peoples and countries, finds in this future partnership between the two countries a field for valuing their experience. Lusophone Education, with its knowledge, with its researchers, can open this debate, laying the foundations for a cooperation that is expected to be fruitful for the development of both countries.
Coordinator of the area of Science of Religions at the Lusófona University
