educationportuguese

Over half a thousand children aged 4 to 12 learn Portuguese in Venezuela

More than half a thousand children between the ages of 4 and 12 are learning Portuguese at the Pedro António Medina de Clarines State School, located in the Venezuelan state of Anzoátegui, 250 kilometres east of Caracas.

With 27 years teaching and almost retiring, Maria Manuela Geriante was invited in November last year to teach Portuguese classes.

Since then, she is said to be “happy and grateful for the opportunity” to teach in her native language.

I am giving Portuguese to children of various levels, from initial education to 6th grade, between the ages of 4 and 12,” she told.

Maria Manuela Geriante stressed that she was “very happy” because the children “love to learn Portuguese very much, they are very motivated“.

And, we are very grateful to have chosen our school for this project,” stressed the teacher, noting that there are “510 children” learning the language of Camões, among them “only a Portuguese son.

The others were born in Venezuela, live in Venezuela, never left here (Clarines) and are very happy to learn to speak Portuguese,” he said.

Ana Maria Geriante said that classes began on November 19, 2018, which the project advances, regretting, however, that since then there have been vacations, for elections, for Christmas, for teacher’s day, for carnival and for students who have problems economic conditions.

I am receiving the minimum wage (18,000 bolivars, equivalent to 4.80 euros at the official exchange rate, but this project gives me pride and satisfaction.) I have been teaching classes for 27 years, I’m going to retire soon, but for this project, I’m still here, “he said.

Regarding the method of teaching, he explained that in order to teach Portuguese “first he has to give grammar in Castilian” and he goes on to tell a bit of history, a stage that he says is “boys motivation“.

I work with groups when one boy advances I move to another, if it goes slower, I move to the previous one because everyone is different and I work very much with the individual needs of each one of them,” he said.

Maria Manuela Geriante insists that the Portuguese language teaching project should expand “to other schools in Clarines and throughout Venezuela” and explains that “languages help people a lot” and even those who have facilities to learn other languages as well have for math.

Finally, she explained that she was very grateful to the Camões Institute, the Portuguese-Venezuelan Foundation of Clarines, the Portuguese consuls of Caracas and Anzoátegui, for materializing this project.

I have three loves here, Portugal, where I am from, Venezuela where I have lived since 1979 and this school, which is also my home and my family,” he concluded.

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