May 25, 2022

10:05

Priscilla Peixoto – Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – In this week’s show CENARIUM INTERVIEW, journalist Liliane Araújo received professor doctor José Augusto de Melo Neto, president-director of the Amazonas Technology Education Center (Cetam). The weekly show that is aired every Tuesday, starting at 7pm, on Cenarium TV’s YouTube channel, brings a summary of the professional’s trajectory dedicated to education.

PhD in education, public policies, and regional development from the Federal University of Amazonas (Ufam), José Augusto, 52, was born in Manaus, is the son of a businessman and an educator, and has education as the main basis for his own development.

“I always liked challenges, and studying always allows us to learn new things. I lived in a family with many people connected to education; my mother is an educator, my brothers also work in education, sports, and art. When I realized this, I ended up changing the course I was in and, when I discovered myself as a teacher, I took all the courses I could and dedicated myself to this profession”, sums up José Augusto.

Passion for writing

The teacher says that his passion for writing was another determining factor for him to approach education and literature. An example of this is the book entitled “Tecnologia Educacional Formação de Professores no Labirinto do Ciberespaço”, the second work written by the professor and published in 2021.

“Working in the area of education to technology I managed to conquer some space (…) this book was written between April 2020 and February 2021, the first ten months of the pandemic. And I, from outside, analyzing as an educator the influence of the pandemic in the world, in Brazil, but, mainly, here in the Amazon, in this area of Education”, says the doctor professor.

Another work highlighted by José Augusto is the book “Escritos na Quarentena: Reflexão sobre Educação e Tecnologia” (Writings in Quarantine: Reflections on Education and Technology). According to the professor, the material comes after an analysis of the situation of alternative education around the world and also, in Brazil, as a response to the pandemic rupture.

“I also started to analyze the issue of access to technology. We, here in the Amazon, still have a precarious access structure (videos and multimedia contents) and the book shows this reality and talks about remote teaching, hybrid teaching, and the new role of professional education”, he explains.

Management and education

With thirty years dedicated to public management, José Augusto de Melo Neto has worked as a State teacher, participated in projects at the Amazonas State Department of Education (Seduc), and was also the first director of the Department’s Media Center.

According to the current president-director of Cetam, the educational sector in the state has advanced. “It is advancing in several aspects and I see a series of positive actions from governor Wilson Lima, such as the Educa Mais Amazonas, which has an initial investment of more than R$ 400 million reais, this is unprecedented. There is also an emphasis on professional education and this helps even for the recovery of the economy,” stresses the professor.

Cetam

During the interview, José Augusto talked about some of the challenges of the Technological Education Center. According to the CEO, the choice of the courses offered is one of them. With the course catalog going through a renovation, the Study Center has already reached the mark of 500 course options available to young students.

For the second time at the head of Cetam, José highlights: “Today, we have 8 to 9 thousand people, we are renovating a school in the East Zone, in the countryside municipalities, and we are also working on laboratories, equipment, and better conditions for the students. Even, last month, we inaugurated the first school of Alto Solimões, in Benjamim Constant”, he says, and emphasizes:

“I believe in what I do, I believe in my team and in the opportunities we have,” José Augusto stresses. To watch the full interview and other points raised during the chat, access TV CENARIUM on YouTube. In addition to this episode, all other interviews and shows are available on the channel.