The Território do Saber Program, an initiative by Hydro in partnership with the Municipal Department of Education (Semec) and carried out by the company Evoluir, has contributed to improving the quality of public education in Paragominas, through the qualification of teachers, pedagogical monitoring of schools and management support.

In 2021, it offered free improvement and specialization courses to professionals in the municipality's education network to expand didactic-pedagogical skills and abilities, with innovative teaching and learning methodologies in Portuguese and Mathematics, plus other topics aligned with the new National Base Common Curriculum (BNCC), such as Early Childhood Education, Integral Education, Special Education and Leadership Training. More than 450 professionals, including teachers, coordinators, directors, technicians and leaders from urban, rural, indigenous and Semec schools, participated in the courses, seminars and workshops promoted by the program.

In addition to events and training, the program left another important legacy in 2021: the collective construction of the Youth, Adult and Elderly Literacy (AJAI) curriculum, with a  proposal built by consultants, literacy teachers and student representatives.

One of the beneficiaries of the literacy program is Rosilene Aleixo, 50, a student in the literacy class at the Uraim Community School, at Km 9, colony of Uraim. Rosilene didn't have the opportunity to study when she was younger, as she had to work very early and take care of her siblings, so she didn't attend school. “Living in the countryside is very difficult, from an early age you have to make a choice: study or help the family. I still don't know how to read and write, but it's my dream and I intend to fulfill it in this program, so that I can fulfill another dream: write my own recipes and open my restaurant, since I really like to cook. And as I work selling vegetables at the fair, I need to know how to read and write to write down prices, make calculations, give change, so today I count on the help of other people for this. I am very happy with the opportunity and excited to resume classes”, reports Rosilene.

She studies at night, from Monday to Thursday; she wakes up at 4 am to go to the fair; in the afternoon, she harvests the fruits and vegetables that she grows on the farm for her own sale and consumption; and then she goes to school.

Hydro recognizes the importance of the partnership with the municipality of Paragominas and of education as an essential component for the economic and social development of the region. By encouraging the qualification of education professionals, the company contributes to the formation of a generation of children, young people and adults who are more capable and qualified for the future.

Face-to-face classes in the municipality returned in February and the expectation is that at least 40 students will be trained in the new literacy classes by the end of the first semester of 2022. The AJAI classes are held at the School Hilda de Sá, Sônia Terzella School, Reginaldo Souza Lima School, Uraim Community School and Coopercamare Recycling Cooperative.

The literacy students receive all the didactic material. And, after completing the literacy process, within a period of approximately eight months, they will be able to continue their studies by joining the municipal school system.