Proming Youths of Brazil. A peep into public school EEEP Alda Facanha in Aquiraz

The highlight of the IBM CSC Brazil 17 team’s second week is an awesome heart felt community day at a local public school called EEEP Alda Facanha in the city of Aquiraz.

 

Co-ordinated by IBM’s CSC partner Pyxeria & organized by ITEVA (yeah! Berna and my client!), the IBM consultants were invited to share about our countries and our life experiences with the youths. It was also an opportunity for the students to share about their city and culture.

Brazil's State of Ceara is bordered by the sea and other Brazil states and there are no direct overseas flights or ships.  As such, Ceara and especially the city of Aquiraz does not often have as much overseas visitors as Sao Paolo and Rio De Janeiro.  So the kids would not have much opportunity to meet foreigners or experience other cultures outside of Latin America.

Education in Brazil has traditionally been focused on universities. With more graduates, came lots of managers but not enough skilled work force to do the work. So there was a huge gap between management and technical or skilled workforce.

Public schools are funded by the city  municipality, so the education quality is dependent on how well it is funded or run. There are corruption cases where there is insufficient funding going into the schools.   Teachers are not well paid, so there are few teachers who would go an extra mile to pick up new teaching techniques or be motivated to reach out to the students. 

The public schools are required by the state to provide meals for the students. Many students depend on these meals to survive.  However, many students also drop out due to the lack of interest or that the distance of the school is too far, or they are required to work to supplement the family income.  The parents are given grants if their children stay jn school. This is so that the family does not pull them out of school to work.  However, the amount is small and does not always guarantee the students stay in school.

 EEEP Alda Facanha was set up for 3 years and is a model public school in the city of Aquiraz and one of a hundred such model schools in the state of Ceara. In these schools, there is a more structured curriculum focused on building values & life skills. The students are given techincal or key skills that allows them to take up jobs when they graduate.  Besides the standard school subjects of history, science and mathematics, EEEP Alda Facanha has a computer lab where the students can learn basic I.T. and courses such as hospitality and tourism which are practical and relevant for securing jobs.

 Upon arrival, the hospitality students rolled out the red carpet for us with students lined up in waiting as ushers. We met the principals and teachers who had vision and passion.  Although we did not have a chance to converse with the teachers, we could sense in the introductory meeting, their enthusiasm, positive vibes and love for the youths.

We were brought on a tour of the school which consisted of two storeys of class rooms, a large canteen, sheltered sports hall, outdoor area and an IT lab equipped with computers.  The students gathered at the auditorium and performed a song for us, as we introduced ourselves to them.  My introduction was met with roaring cheers and claps as I greeted them in Portugese.  This was followed by a tea reception with all the local food in Ceara.

Each of the consultants had a chance to meet two classes.  In my first class, the students were quietly waiting in anticipation for my arrival.  I was treated to a local story told in the form of a dance in front of two lovely boards hand painted with Aquiraz scenes.  The class had also prepared the table with the local handicrafts of croquet table cloth, butterflies and sea shells.  

This class asked very deep questions, such as,

• how to be a good sales and marketing professional,
• what are the initiatives that Singapore has taken to make Singapore one of the cleanest and well conserved countries in the world,
• how does Singapore preserve the nature and be the largest green area in Asia amidst city development,
• what is the importance of preserving culture for Singapore to reflect its colonial past and cultural diversity of its population with British/Indian/Chinese/Malay influences, and
• how does Singapore become the third most visited tourist destination in Southeast Asia, what brings the interests of the tourists and what are the local government investments in tourism

The one hour was not sufficient as the students were very participative. One of the students was so sweet to thank me for not just sharing my country and culture, the principles and values of life, practical learning and career tips, and that I had truly inspired them to want to strive to be better.

The second class was an active class, and I could hear their excitement from outside the class.  They had formed a U-shape in the class and three sides were competing for me to sit with them, as we watched a video on Aquiraz.

 
 This was followed by food tasting as they had prepared many local food – cakes, tapioca, desserts etc.  They were all very delicious.  When I tasted, I offered to the rest of the class, and they joined in heartily.

I was amazed at the teacher of this class, as he was sitting with the students and appears to one with them.  I only realized he was a teacher when he asked a technical question about IBM’s strategic directions towards value portfolio.  This class had very interactive discussion session and was interested in our culture, sports, food and also what I liked about Brazil on culture, food and experiences.  One strange question was about whether we ate insects in Singapore, as they had seen a documentary on Asians eating insects.

On behalf of Singapore and IBM ASEAN, I prepared a world map with Brazil and Singapore circled out, comparing the geographical area and population density.  I also shared about Singapore’s history, different races living in harmony, freedom of religion, food that is unique to Singapore and our main trade and industries.  I also prepared a short introduction of the sales and marketing professions.

Part of the visit was to expand the students’ perspective beyond Brazil.  So I encouraged the youths to consider that they are rich as they live in a landed property, which is very scarce and expensive in Singapore.  Brazil has vast natural resources with lots of potential that they can harness. More importantly, the Brazilians’ passion and camaraderie are great attributes and the people are the best resources.  All they need is a mindset to better themselves and desire to make a difference in their community.

Many of the students have requested to add us as friends to their facebook and some often message me just to share their lives.  They told me that they have tests on many subjects. I wish them the best results and a new phrase I learnt from the students – “Stay with God”.

I have a lot of confidence in the teachers and students of EEEP Alda Facanha.  The teachers are energetic, visionary and show care for the students.  The students showed a passion in life, positive attitude, great teamwork and are hungry to learn more. I wish them a bright future, to follow their hearts and dreams!

IBM Corporate Service Corp #ibmcsc and #ibmcsc brazil at https://www.ibm.com/social/aggregator/corporate_service_corps

Find out more about EEEP Alda Facanha at their work in progress website: http://eeepaldafacanha.com.br/