The Governing Council of the Teresian Association has announced the appointment of Vera Maria Ferrão Candau as an emeritus member of the Socio-Educational Proposal Commission of America (PSE).
Vera Maria Ferrão Candau with Consuelo Vélez.
The Governing Council reported that this decision was taken for several reasons but, above all, for “her enthusiasm and ongoing commitment to the educational mission of the Teresian Association in all the countries where the TA is present on the American continent.”
Having concluded her duties as a member of the PSE Commission over several terms of office, the appointment of Vera Maria Candau as an emeritus member highlightes “her inspiring and fruitful presence, which continues, with God’s grace, beyong her mandatory terms of office.”
Latin American context
Vera Maria was the first person to interpret Pedro Poveda's educational views from the perspective of the reality of Latin America. This constitutes an important and fundamental contribution to the understanding of educational proposals in the context of Latin American reality. Furthermore, she has continuously updated these interpretations in line with the educational challenges of the time.
At the Council for Culture Seminarheld in Cochabamba in 1998, Vera Maria proposed the idea of carrying out a reflective, critical and systematic analysis of the educational work of social centers and projects in Latin America. This led to the creation of the PSE.
From then on, the Poveda Center in the Dominican Republic was commissioned to develop this proposal, and Vera Maria acted as an adviser to the team working on the initial document. The outcome of this process was the publication of the book Educating in difficult times: A socio-educational proposal from the Teresian Association in Latin America, which was presented at the seminar held in the Dominican Republic in 2002. The PSE International Advisory Committee was established that same year and was coordinated by Vera Maria until 2020.
Vera Maria has been a cornerstone in the realisation of all this work, providing direction, focus and a critical perspective, for the ongoing guidance and educational contributions of educators, as well as for the promotion and development of PSE in each country, building on the work of those responsible for driving internal processes.
Socio-educational movements
In its statement, the Governing Council emphasises the importance of highlighting the vision of the ‘Educating in Difficult Times’ Socio-Educational Movement (MSE), inspired by the ideas of Pedro Poveda. This vision is set out in the MSE's Charter of Principles, presented at the Lima Seminar in 2007. The Chater recognises the importance of socio-educational movements as a fundamental means of ongoing educator development and of influencing public policy. The MSE brings together a variety of educators, including those working in the institutions supported by the Teresian Association.
Education Congress held in Chile in 2011.
As coordinator of the Commission, Vera Maria promoted all publications, thereby valuing the written word and reflection. Her aim was to systematise, contextualise and publicise the process experienced through the PSE.
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