“More than ever, we must maintain our commitment to public schools” | Educational Congress of Ctera, 100 years after the birth of Paulo Freire

One hundred years after the birth of Paulo Freire, thousands of teachers virtually participated in the Pedagogical Congress “What education for these times?, organized by Ctera. “We make this day with the conviction that the legacy of Freire today more than ever It is essential to be able to think about the school that you want», Underlined Sonia Alesso, general secretary of Ctera. “The best tribute to Freire is to claim our pride in exercising a profession dedicated to freedom and critical thinking,” said teacher and assistant Hugo Yasky. Education Minister Jaime Perczyk praised teachers for their “example” during the pandemic and stressed that “we are among those who believe that the defense of rights defends education, and the defense of education defends Argentina ”.

More than 10,000 teachers registered at the congress intended to reflect on “education” in the current context, which took place within the framework of the actions promoted by Education International for Latin America for the centenary of the birth of Freire and has presented lectures of pedagogues and specialists in childhood, teacher training, ESI, technologies, interculturality and environmental education, among other topics.

“Thinking about education in times of pandemic and post-pandemic requires building bridges between teachers, professors, social organizations, feminists, human rights and all of our unions. Re-dialogue with the educator Freire, with the philosopher, with the politician, It is an inevitable fact for those of us who are part of popular organizing processes.», Underlined Alesso. “At a time when in Argentina and in the Great Fatherland, rights try to progress on public school and on labor rights, more than ever we must respect our commitment to public school», He underlined.

“The public education It is a social right but also, as Freire tells us, a weapon to transform people, to young people in whose hands is the possibility of transforming society, ”Yasky recalled. “There is a constant attempt to undermine our self-esteem as teachers, to challenge and make society defy teachers as guilty of something we don’t know what it is,” he said. -he deplored, and opposed “this daily work of those who seek to convert educators into automatons” with “the pride and the joy of wearing a white coat, of teaching, of exercising this profession fundamentally linked to freedom, critical and transformative thinking. “” That in this context they hold an educational congress, which is the synthesis of the effort that we see every day in Argentinian schools, in a country and a world which have suffered a lot, seems central to us, “they said. greeted Minister Perczyk.