Twenty-eight teachers from public schools in Brazil travelled to Ireland this week to complete a postgraduate diploma in education leadership and management at Mary Immaculate College (MIC).
The educators participated in a selection process earlier this year, run by CAPES federal funding agency in Brazil, and will have all of their costs covered by the Brazilian government during their nine month stay in Ireland.
Speaking at a farewell event hosted in the Irish Consulate in São Paulo on 13 August for the teachers from 20 different states in Brazil, Lorena Lins Damasceno, General Coordinator of Teacher Training Programmes with CAPES, congratulated the group on the eve of their journey to Ireland.
“We want to congratulate you all for the effort you put in so that you could be with us today. We know it wasn’t easy. Tomorrow, you will travel with the very clear and ambitious objective to complete this Education Leadership and Management programme in an institution with excellence in this area. You have a magnificent opportunity.”
The CAPES coordinator noted that the MIC programme, as well as offering academic excellence, also provided scholarship holders an opportunity to compare different education systems in Brazil.
“Returning teachers have told us they never knew Brazil as well as they did during their time in Ireland, because the groups represent all of Brazil. They have a unique opportunity to compare distinct realities within our education system, exchanging and forming a national network.”
Her Excellency, Ambassador Fiona Flood, spoke of Ireland’s global reputation for education: “Ireland’s worldwide reputation for high quality education is built upon a commitment to excellence and knowledge that can be put into practice to serve society.”
She told the Brazilian educators to keep in touch with the Embassy and Consulate on their return, saying: “I look forward to hearing about how you will take Ireland with you, back to the classroom in Brazil, inspiring future generations of leaders.”
Consul General at the Irish Consulate in São Paulo, Robert Jackson, wished the group well and praised the Brazilian government for the “vision and leadership of CAPES investing in educators. These educators will have a unique opportunity to learn from each other and to share their experiences with colleagues in Ireland.”
The CG congratulated the teachers for their role in shaping the future of society: “I still have very fond memories of my own teachers, they had a profound impact on me. Never underestimate the crucial role you play in shaping future generations,” he told the Ireland-bound group.
Holly Cowman, MIC Director of International Engagement, joined the event by video link, and thanked the Irish Embassy and Consulate, as well as CAPES for the highly esteemed partnership.
“I want to really express our appreciation and thanks to our colleagues at CAPES for all of the work that has gone into the preparation of this programme, and for the fantastic collaboration ever since this project began as an idea.”
Sarah O’Sullivan, Director of SOS Education Consultancy, which is based in São Paulo, gave an overview of how continued investment in education had a transformative impact in Irish society, with MIC at the forefront of this transition.
“Ireland was a poor country in the 1980s, we saw many young people forced to go overseas for opportunities. With consistent investment in education, and considerable curricular evolution, Ireland is proud to have one of the best education systems in the world.”
Since 2009, CAPES has funded international mobility programmes for 5,000 public school teachers. This is the third group of educators to travel to MIC to complete postgraduate education leadership training. The initial group consisted of 19 school directors, who studied at MIC in 2019.
