August 28, 2025
On August 25, Beatriz Cardoso, director of Labedu, participated in the panel "Why is it so difficult to know how many literate students there are in the country?" during the 9th Jeduca Congress, held in São Paulo. Alongside Katia Schweickardt, Secretary of Basic Education at the Ministry of Education (MEC), and Ernesto Faria, founding director of Interdisciplinarity and Evidence in Educational Debate (IEDE), Cardoso contributed reflections on the pedagogical challenges facing understanding literacy data in Brazil.
In her speech, Beatriz highlighted the complexity of the pedagogical universe and the need for greater visibility into the processes that occur within classrooms when discussing educational assessment. "There's a whole world that goes beyond assessment. There's the world of school, and also the world of pedagogy, which is very sophisticated and complex. The teaching profession is one of the most demanding if we truly break down everything that's at stake in a simple classroom situation," she stated.
She also highlighted the role of journalists in increasing public interest in pedagogy by including this topic in assessment coverage. Giving visibility to pedagogical challenges, then, is essential to promoting real advances in learning. "For us to turn the tide, it's essential to give visibility to pedagogy. People need to be interested, understand, and want to talk about it." According to Beatriz, the focus of public policies should be on the consistency of teaching practices and the development of pathways that raise the level of learning for all, rather than highlighting isolated initiatives by good teachers.
“What we have seen frequently is a real obsession with preparing for the test, to improve the Ideb
The panel was moderated by Folha de S.Paulo journalist and Jeduca member Paulo Saldaña and brought together different perspectives on the challenges of measuring and ensuring literacy in the country, highlighting the importance of expanding the public debate on the pedagogical paths that support this process.
Watch the panel “Why is it so difficult to know how many literate students there are in the country?”: