The UNESCO Associated Schools Network (ASPnet) is the UNESCO office in charge of educational institutions across the globe. In Brazil, it is represented by the name PEA UNESCO ("Programa de Escolas Associadas).

 

Including 11 thousand member schools in 180 different countries, the ASP Network aids pre-schools, primary, secondary and vocational schools. Based on UNESCO’s principles of peace culture and Education for Sustainable Development, its main goal is to form conscious generations of students and stimulate them to join in the construction of a global citizenship.

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Member schools of the ASPnet are characterized as think tanks that promote new approaches to the educational process based on UNESCO’s values and priorities. They are also training poles of collaborative learning, which allow school directors, teachers, and students to take part in a world-wide educational integration. By fostering the ideals promoted by UNESCO’s ASPnet, member schools become models in their own communities.

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Created with the intent of being an innovative break-through in the quality of Education, UNESCO’s Associated Schools Network must actively contribute to the promoting of its ideals and values, guided by the philosophy behind the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Framework for Action.

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Finally, the ASP Network offers its members an incredible opportunity to exchange resources, knowledge, ideias and good practices - in regional, national and international levels.

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Associated Schools' Commitment

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By becoming associated, a school makes a commitment to act as an embassy for UNESCO’s ideals and universal values. 

From an educational perspective, for instance, it is essential for schools to work based on the 4 pillars of Education, which are: Learning to Know, Learning to Do, Learning to Live Together, and Learning to Be.

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Furthermore, the mandatory conditions necessary for joining and remaining part of the Program go as follows:

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1. Annually present a work plan which fits UNESCO’s themes until March 31st, as well as an activity report to be presented until November 30th. These documents are to be delivered in a bilingual version: Portuguese and another official language of UNESCO, preferably English or Spanish.

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2. Give visibility to the associated school logo, fixating the ASPNetwork logo or the certificate of entry either on the school entrance or in a widely circulated location. It is of utmost importance for the community to know about the participation of the school in the network and in the fomenting of its principles.

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​3. Preserve the integrity of the certificate of entry, for duplicates are not issued. In the occurrence of a school leaving the program, the certificate must necessarily be returned to UNESCO.

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4. Make the correct use of the ASPNetwork logo according to the rules established by UNESCO. Modifications of any kind to the logo are not allowed, be it on the drawing, the colors, or an inadequate composition with other images.

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​5. Take part in at least one campaign, contest, or regional/global project presented by the International Coordination.

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6. Take part in at least 2 international celebration days of the UNESCO Calendar.

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7. Follow the instructions of the National Coordination, replying with agility and diligence to the information requests, as Brazil reports to the International Coordination and is also required to follow up with the internationally established  arrangements.

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ASPnet in Brazil

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Each UNESCO ASP Network has its own characteristics according to each country’s scenario. In Brazil, the program also has its own distinguishing characteristics: the power of mobilizing and executing, the agility in assimilating UNESCO’s orientations, the capacity to renovate, and its unique identity, which has been built over time.

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Brazil has the second biggest UNESCO ASP Network in the world, including 583 member schools with at least 550 thousand students and 42 thousand teachers.

 

Not only are we proud of having a numerous institution, but we’re especially proud of having been able to create a very active network, with protagonist schools which effectively work and aim towards being relevant (both locally and globally).

 

Another important characteristic of the brazilian ASPnet branch (PEA UNESCO) is its effective representativity. The program intentionally seeks to portray Brazil’s rich socio-cultural diversity.

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This representativity is expressed in a number of different ways:

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a) Dissemination across national territory: we’ve been able to reach all regions and practically all states, which is not easy at all. We’ve been growing in the Northeast, the South, the backland, and in the countryside. This has been made possible by the regional coordination structure created by Brazil.

 

b) Member schools’ diversity: the UNESCO PEA Network is certainly one of Brazil’s most multicultural educational organization. Currently, we’re proud to represent public and private schools; indigenous and quilombola education; urban and rural networks; institutions that contemplate people in very poor regions and strongly consolidated schools, which are able to strengthen the support ASPnet offers to its members.

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c) The power of cooperation: the UNESCO PEA Network isn’t just the sum of isolated schools, but instead a live structure which acts in an integrated manner and offers mutual support. Proof of this is the growing number of partnerships between public and private schools. To us, all member schools are equal and just as important to Brazil’s education system.