The program concludes a five-year cycle with more than 500 teachers trained and a fundamental legacy for education in the municipality of Paragominas.
In 2022, 16% of illiterate people in Brazil were 60 years old or older, according to IBGE. Fortunately, this age group also registered the largest drop in the illiteracy rate in the country. Compared to 2019, there was a reduction of 2.1 percentage points, and compared to 2016, the drop was even more significant, down 4.5 points, according to the Continuous National Household Sample Survey (PNAD): Education 2022.
One example is Mr. José Pereira, a resident of the municipality of Paragominas, Pará. At the age of 63, he learned to read and write thanks to the Territory of Knowledge program, an initiative of Hydro, in partnership with the Municipal Department of Education (SEMEC). “The happiest moment was when I learned to write my name. Now I want to keep learning more and more, to have a profession, to know how to get on a bus and travel, to read street signs so I know where to go without having to ask people.”he says.
Território do Saber (Territory of Knowledge), which began in 2019 and concluded its cycle in 2024, did not stop at the literacy training of more than 200 young people, adults and the elderly (AJAI). It also promoted actions to support the management and training of education professionals. More than 500 people, including teachers, coordinators, directors, technicians and leaders from urban, rural and indigenous schools and SEMEC itself participated in the courses, seminars, workshops and other meetings organized by the initiative.
Teacher Joelma Portela, who has worked in the Paragominas municipal school system for 15 years, highlights the program’s impact: “I can say with certainty that Território gave me a voice. It brought the Common National Curriculum Base (BNCC) organized for us to learn and have autonomy and security in the classroom. Participating in these training programs was a gift to all of us. The program leaves us with an immeasurable legacy, that of working on the real needs of a student, adopting a different approach for each one of them.”
The Literacy for Young People, Adults and the Elderly (AJA) curriculum was built collectively during the Território do Saber meetings, with a curriculum proposal formulated by consultants, literacy teachers and student representatives. “The association of the Territory with the people of Paragominas enriches, dignifies and elevates the knowledge, wisdom and self-esteem of our people. Knowledge brought to young people, adults and the elderly is enriching and renews people’s lives and hopes.” concludes the deputy mayor of Paragominas, Vera Lúcia.
Território do Saber has also published two physical books and four ebooks with reflections, methodologies and contributions accumulated over the five years of the project. “Education is the greatest legacy we can leave. It is transformative and can spread and multiply. By training education professionals, we are contributing to sustainable change in Paragominas, supporting the formation of a generation of children, youth and adults who are better educated and trained for the future. The knowledge imparted to these people is real and fundamental, opening horizons and new visions of the world for the participants”, summarizes Anderson Martins, industrial director of Hydro Paragominas.
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