Students finally had their say and took center stage at Bett Brasil. On Friday (the 26th), 24 students took the stage at the event for the panel discussion “What Kind of Education Do We Want?” The group participated in the “Bett Youth—Agents of Change” project, which brought together high school students from public and private schools to explore educational trends and innovations over four days, as part of a collaborative initiative between Bett Brasil, the Criar Institute, and CESAR School.

Nine students, divided into three groups, represented the 24 students from the Lourenço Castanho School, the Antônio de Lisboa State School, and the Mauro de Oliveira State School. “Our groups were divided in a way that respected the diversity of cultures and realities, and that is what gives this project its charm and special touch. So, we had students from public schools, technical schools, and private schools, and that’s what sparked this discussion that Bett Brasil, Instituto Criar, and CESAR School made possible. This commitment to valuing students in this role is very important because, after all, a trade show and conference of this size has a profound impact on the students,” said student Daniel.

The boys and girls presented the videos they produced, sharing their perspectives on the future of education based on what they witnessed during the four days of Bett Brasil. Check out the topics the students chose to explore during the event.

• “How Opportunity Creates Access to Education” — Group 1: This group considered the student’s perspective, noting that students who fight for their rights can create even greater accessibility by generating high-quality opportunities.
• “Access to education” – Group 2: addressed the difficulties of commuting to school. The students’ reflections centered on quality accessibility, which can provide more opportunities for access while respecting each student’s individuality.
• “Discrepancies in Education” — Group 3: This group showed that there is a disparity in access to available technologies. In addition, the students discussed teaching methods and approaches, the use of technology, and the student-teacher relationship, which has a significant impact on students’ daily lives.

Sofia, a student at Lourenço Castanho School, said that the “Juventude Bett—Agentes Transformadores” project reinforces students’ active role: “The presence of students at an education fair as large as Bett Brasil is extremely important for ensuring our representation, both among the teachers and the institutions present here.” Helena, also a student at Lourenço Castanho, said that seeing other people’s lives and stories was what impacted her the most. “Interacting with people from different backgrounds and learning about new realities is what I’ve found most important during these days. I was able to talk to different people with diverse perspectives who are all working toward a common goal,” she shared.

Students and future teachers also take center stage at Bett

At the 29th edition of Bett Brasil, in partnership with the Singularidades Institute—which offers undergraduate programs focused on education—the “Guardians of Dialogue” project took place. As part of this initiative, education students from the institute served as presenters and facilitators for the panel discussions in the content auditoriums, ensuring that the event’s sessions flowed smoothly and remained dynamic.

According to Claudia Costin, president of the Singularidades Institute, the project is a very interesting and important initiative because it allows future teachers to act as mediators. “This partnership between the Singularities Institute and Bett Brasil has been in place for a few years now, but it’s only recently that the idea emerged to have education students take on this role instead of emcees—allowing them to learn while also bringing innovation and energy to the event,” said Claudia Costin.

Professor José Manuel Moran also emphasized the importance of initiatives like this for the future of education. “It’s wonderful to recognize and highlight inspiring teachers and meaningful projects, showing that it’s possible to provide a quality education, engage students, and develop active teaching methods using a variety of technologies. This provides concrete examples that we are making steady progress, even though we still have a long way to go before achieving quality education for all,” said the educator.

Article originally published on the Educador21 website.

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