Brazilian Finalist for 2017 “Global Teacher Prize” Is Banned From Teaching

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Professor Wemerson Nogueira, a finalist in 2017 for the “Global Teacher Prize”, sometimes called the “Nobel Prize for Education”, was banned by the Espírito Santo State government from teaching for five years, on charges of using falsified diplomas. Nogueira ascribed the matter to a bureaucratic issue and said he does not intend to appeal the decision. He also said he is about to graduate from another college.

The veto on Nogueira was determined by the State Secretary of Education of Espírito Santo. Tarcísio Bobbio, co-chief and inspector of the State Department, says that after an audit in the sector, it was found that Nogueira used three fake diplomas from Chemistry, Biological Sciences, and one postgraduate to fill the position of educator. The decision was published in the State Gazette on October 8th.

The inspector also said that once the penalty period elapses (five years), Wemerson may again apply for the position of professor DT (temporary assignment) and resume teaching in the state network.

In a note, Nogueira stated that the prosecuting committee was partial in the case because it clung to the fact that the “paper” diploma was not valid. “They should have considered my good faith, not intending to use a document knowing it was false,” he said. He claims to have studied at the Metropolitan University of Santos (UNIMES) under the institution’s service provision contract. The college, however, does not acknowledge the diploma.

Also in a note, UNIMES says it was a victim of fraud and asked the Federal Police of Espírito Santo to investigate the case. The college claims that in 2015 it was advised that Espírito Santo had issued fake diplomas in the name of UNIMES, which were not included in the academic records.

Asked if he would appeal the decision, Nogueira said he would prefer not to do so. Nogueira also says he gives lectures and says he has received invitations to work in private schools.

Award

In 2016, Wemerson Nogueira was awarded in the 19th edition of “Educador Nota 10”, which aims to reward the best teachers in Brazil. He was led to the award for attractively explaining the periodic table.

“The teacher chose to start from the environmental fact – the contamination by mud – and the chemical analysis of water to approach the elements in the table in a contextualized way. Young researchers, Wemerson’s students, analyzed the water conditions, learned the periodic table in a new way and found practical solutions to improve the quality of life of riverside residents,” says the awards page on the Internet.

The following year, he was a finalist for the “Teacher Global Prize”, awarded by the Varkey Foundation. That year’s winner was Canadian Maggie McDonnell.

The report tried to contact the press office of the Victor Civita Foundation, in charge of the award, but until the publication of this article the organization had not commented on the subject.

Source: Estadão Conteúdo