On April 3, 2025, the Management Committee of the Fundep Magda Soares Chair in Basic Education, linked to the Institute of Advanced Transdisciplinary Studies (IEAT) at UFMG, held its first meeting with the members of the Advisory Board. Composed of researchers with extensive experience in studies on education and professional training of teachers, the board will play a strategic role in developing the actions and reflections of the chair.

The opening of the meeting was led by Professor Patrícia Kauark, who contextualized the creation of long-term chairs at IEAT, an initiative that seeks to consolidate spaces for the production of knowledge with social impact. According to her, the work developed by the Fundep Magda Soares Chair is part of a transdisciplinary research ecosystem, focused on the collective construction of effective responses to contemporary challenges, such as the qualification of basic education and teacher training.

Next, Professor Maria José Flores, Deputy Provost for Undergraduate Studies at UFMG, shared recent advances in the formulation of an institutional policy focused on teacher training at the university. She highlighted the importance of coordination between different sectors of UFMG in consolidating this project.

The meeting was also attended by Professor António Nóvoa, the first occupant of the Fundep Magda Soares Chair. In his speech, he highlighted the value of institutional commitment to basic education. Nóvoa shared his experience as rector of the University of Lisbon between 2006 and 2013, when he led the merger between the University of Lisbon and the Technical University of Lisbon. According to him, it was necessary to persuade and understand the benefits of the changes that were coming. For him, the same applies to basic education and teacher training: it is necessary for people from different positions and instances to be directly involved, debating and bringing new ideas. For him, the vast experience of the Council members has much to add to the research process, both in reflecting on the main challenges and in producing solutions to the problems that affect basic education and teacher training.

In the final stage of the meeting, the members of the Advisory Board had the opportunity to present proposals and discuss possible paths for the Chair’s next work cycles. Professor Júlio Emílio Diniz-Pereira, coordinator of the Chair, positively evaluated the meeting and highlighted the potential of the board in supporting the initiatives of the Fundep Magda Soares Chair. “The exchange of ideas was extremely enriching. This meeting highlighted the strength of the group and its capacity to contribute to the advancement of concrete actions in favor of public education and teacher training,” he concluded.