Around 3,700 students from the public school system in Ribas do Rio Pardo (MS) were benefited in 2022 by Suzano Education Program (PSE), an initiative by Suzano, a global reference in the manufacture of bioproducts developed from eucalyptus cultivation, which invests in improving the quality of education, carried out in partnership with the Municipality of Ribas do Rio Pardo. Throughout the year, the program involved around 300 education professionals (including teachers, coordinators and managers) and had the participation of all 10 schools in the city's municipal education network.
“When we started construction on the new Suzano factory in Ribas do Rio Pardo, we made a commitment to collaborate with local sustainable development, which goes directly through education, in line with our guideline that 'it's only good for us if it's good for the world'. We believe that promoting quality education helps reduce social inequalities and build a more just and egalitarian society, helping these children and young people to be better prepared for the future. Therefore, it was with great pride that we ended 2022 with 100% of public schools joining, a rate that we intend to maintain in 2023”, emphasizes Israel Batista Gabriel, Social Development coordinator at Suzano.
Among the actions carried out by the program in 2022 are: training meetings, lectures and courses with the Municipal Department of Education team, with the management and pedagogical coordination of the schools, in addition to teachers in the EaD modality (Distance Learning). “A positive point of the project in 2022 was the carrying out of continuous training with the management team, supporting the local Department of Education in the institutionalization of training actions for leaders and pedagogical coordination of schools”, completes Israel.
Also in 2022, the social participation group was consolidated with representatives from the education, health, social assistance, culture, sport and guardianship sectors. This group carried out an important diagnosis of social conditions and, with that, promoted the 1st Intersectoral Forum to discuss policies to guarantee the rights of children and young people in Ribas do Rio Pardo, bringing dialogue between educational institutions closer together. Last year, the PSE supported the municipal secretary of Education in carrying out strategic planning together with school managers and the construction of TEAR (Educational Support Territories of Ribas do Rio Pardo).
In Mato Grosso do Sul, in addition to Ribas do Rio Pardo, last year the initiative included students from the municipalities of Água Clara, Brasilândia, Santa Rita do Pardo, Selvíria and Três Lagoas, totaling 57 teaching units supported and more than 1 ,9 engaged education professionals. In all, 27,450 students benefited in the state.
Suzano Education Program
Suzano Education Program is linked to Suzano's long-term goal of increasing the IDEB score (Basic Education Development Index) by 40% in priority municipalities by the year 2030. For this, in addition to effective practices by educators in In the classroom, the program covers topics such as access and permanence in school and the guarantee of other rights as well, such as: food security, the eradication of child labor and access to social public policies. More than 200,000 people benefited from the initiative last year, including students, educators and intersectoral teams.
Operating in 29 municipalities in Mato Grosso do Sul, Maranhão, Bahia and Espírito Santo and São Paulo, the Program's guidelines are to support educational leaders, guarantee equity in public school teaching, train education professionals and motivate social participation in favor of of a comprehensive education of the student.