Government delivers, in Icoaraci, the first bilingual school in the State
Building of the former Madre Celeste school is an example of a comprehensive bilingual education with a new pedagogical model in the state network
In constant investment in education in Pará, the Government of Pará delivered, through the State Department of Education (Seduc), the first State School of Comprehensive Bilingual Education in Portuguese-Spanish in Pará. With comprehensive education, the unit follows a new pedagogical model in the state network, benefiting up to 700 students from preschool to high school. The new school is located in the Icoaraci District and was delivered by Governor Helder Barbalho on the morning of this Thursday (24).
To become a reference in public education and reaffirming its commitment to improving teaching, the State made an investment of R$ 10.8 million to transform the building that housed the former Madre Celeste School into the new State School of Comprehensive Bilingual Education Mestra Idalina Rodrigues Pereira.
With a pedagogical proposal based on student cooperativism through projects and work, the new school encourages protagonism in the learning process, in addition to addressing interdisciplinary topics that connect with their realities.
The Governor emphasizes that one of his priorities is to provide public school students with quality education.
"Today, Icoaraci receives a fantastic school. Certainly, being able to transform a private school into a quality public school is a demonstration of the respect, care, attention, appreciation, and priority we have for education, and now it becomes a public school in favor of quality education for our children, for our youth. I thank the trust of the Icoaraci community and all the education collaborators, teachers, and professors, who from today will promote a full-time school, and the first school of Spanish and Portuguese language in all of Pará. It is an education that goes from our children in early education to our youth, and that with quality education can promote development, knowledge, and succeed in life," he declared.
Located in an area of over 4,000 square meters, the innovative structure has 23 classrooms, an administrative block, an auditorium, a Specialized Educational Service Room (SAEE), a kitchen, male and female changing rooms, and facilities for People with Disabilities (PcD), a sports court, a sand court, a recreation area, a library, a multidisciplinary laboratory, a multipurpose room, a student council room, among other essential spaces for the development of quality comprehensive education, all signposted in Portuguese and Spanish, making bilingual education tangible inside and outside the classrooms.
"In six months, practically, we are delivering this school ready for our entire community. And I want to thank the Icoaraci community for their affection, for their patience, and for believing in this project from the very first minute, from the very first moment. And now it transforms into the first Public Bilingual School in Portuguese and Spanish in the State of Pará, a project that I am sure will be transformative in the lives of our youth and children. This will be a totally different project because we believe in public education, first of all, and because we believe that this school can stand out, it will be the largest school in the State of Pará, and in the coming years we will see this happen," highlighted the State Secretary of Education, Rossieli Soares.
In addition, the school also has the second Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Basic Education (Ciseb), which proposes innovative solutions for both student teaching and professional development for educators. The Ciseb integrates the Public Education Policy for the Environment, Sustainability, and Climate of Seduc and has a modern environment, prepared for the continuous training of teachers and for the learning of students from the state and municipal networks, who will have access to innovative practices in their daily school life.
Ana Beatriz Garcia, a 9th-grade student, represented the school community in the thank-you speech for the pioneering educational unit in the State.
"It is very gratifying to take on this role of representing the entire school community. It is an honor to serve our State and study in the first bilingual school in Pará; we are very happy. Bilingual education will help us both to communicate with other people and to get jobs, and that is very good, you know? What the Government is doing with the state's education."
Also a 9th-grade student, Adriane Dias feels honored by the opportunity to study in the first bilingual school in the State.
"I feel honored to be in the first school with this level of education that is much higher; it is gratifying. And it will help me a lot in my professional future; it will put me well ahead in education."
The new school proposes an innovative education that encourages students to develop skills that contribute to the future, combining comprehensive education with the offering of bilingual education in Portuguese-Spanish from preschool. High school students will also be able to choose, starting in the second semester, a training path integrated with Professional and Technological Education, that is, which technical training offered by the school they want to pursue. At the end of their education, they will also receive a technical certificate.
15-year-old student Isabelle Serrão is in her first year of high school and is very happy to be at the Mestra Idalina State School, where the pioneering education will be essential for her professional training.
"Wow, I am feeling very happy, especially because it is a school where the teachers are very good at their work. I can understand the subject; all the subjects are wonderful, and it is a privilege to study at Mestra Idalina with various modalities. We have a court, a pool, a large cafeteria, wonderful classrooms, all with air conditioning, and it is a privilege that many students here will have. The foreign language will help if I want to leave the country or put it on my resume in the future to work. It will be wonderful because it will help me in the future."
Investments - The State School of Comprehensive Bilingual Education Mestra Idalina Rodrigues Pereira is the 167th unit delivered by the State Government since the beginning of the administration. Only in 2025, in less than four months, the State has already delivered seven completely rebuilt schools in the municipalities of Bragança, Belém, Anapu, Cachoeira do Arari, and Brejo Grande do Araguaia; and two entirely new schools in Brasil Novo and Breu Branco, in addition to two more units of the Daycare Program Throughout Pará, one in Redenção, one in Cumaru do Norte, and one in Almeirim. An investment of over R$ 60 million.
The first unit of the Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Basic Education (Ciseb) delivered by the State Government was at the Marechal Cordeiro de Farias State School in Belém.
Comprehensive education - State schools of comprehensive education maintain a daily workload of 9 hours and 45 hours weekly or 7 hours daily and 35 hours weekly. The full-time schedule provides more resources for student development, in order to form autonomous, supportive, and competent individuals. Schools with full-time schedules also guarantee students three daily meals (lunch and two snacks).
For 2025, the State Department of Education (Seduc) has implemented 49 more units that adopted the Comprehensive Education Program (PEI), totaling 161 schools with this pedagogical model.
In addition to the increase in the number of schools, the impact of this expansion is clearly visible in the growth of enrollments. In 2018, schools in the full-time modality in Pará served 6,000 students; in 2025 there was a leap to 48,000 enrollments, an eightfold increase in capacity. A result that reflects the State's commitment to providing more opportunities for students, with access to quality comprehensive education.
With this expansion, Pará consolidates a model of education that seeks equity and excellence, ensuring that more students have access to a comprehensive educational training that prioritizes various areas of knowledge and human development.
