Education
Schools in the rainforest: innovative indigenous education in the Amazon
The importance of developing multilingual context in promoting the indigenous education in Brazil
Authors:
E.M. Johannessen
Publisher:
Rainforest Foundation Norway, 2009
This book examines four small successful education projects for indigenous education in Brazil. The projects were established by Rainforest Foundation Norway, which aimed to develop an educational system which would combine respect for the knowledge, culture, language and social values of each indigenous group with the provision of new skills and knowledge necessary for dealing with new challenges. The book indicates that none of the projects were formally endorsed by the government at the outset. Yet, they obtained gradually materials and other support from federal or state-level education authorities.
Some of the lessons drawn from the projects are as follows:
- the development of a differentiated and culturally specific indigenous education is the result of close cooperation between indigenous leaders and non-indigenous Brazilians
- respecting, valuing and developing a bilingual and multilingual context is crucial in promoting an indigenous education and culture
- it is necessary to strengthen the local languages by expanding their use in the schools
- community involvement in the school and its administration are essential to ensure the future of these schools
- greater contact between formal and informal education appears to make members of the community more engaged in developing their language, culture and traditions
- creating networks of teachers and schools from neighbouring villages has proven effective in providing a support system for the individual teachers
- formal advisory visits are also needed to oversee how the school and the teacher are functioning.
