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Retired professor from the Faculty of Education is one of the winners of the Anísio Teixeira Prize 2026.

Helena Costa Lopes de Freitas is one of ten honorees in the Basic Education category; the award ceremony took place in July, during the celebrations of CAPES' 75th anniversary.

16 July 2026

authorship Erika Blaudt

Photography Guilherme do Val Toledo Prado

Selfie-style photograph taken indoors in what appears to be an auditorium. In the foreground, two individuals smile at the camera. On the right, a middle-aged man, slightly balding, with a thick gray beard and glasses perched on the collar of his light-colored dress shirt, wears a dark coat and a patterned scarf. Next to him, on the left, is an elderly woman with short white hair, wearing light-framed eyeglasses and an outfit consisting of a blue blouse under a dark shawl or coat. She is holding a beige briefcase. In the background, to the left, is a grandstand with several rows of upholstered seats in a mustard-yellow tone, arranged in tiers that ascend towards the back. Between the rows, a central staircase is illuminated by rows of blue LED lights embedded in the steps. Three other people appear at the top of the grandstand, climbing the steps. The side wall is a neutral beige tone, lending a sober atmosphere to the space. End of description.

One of the 20 personalities honored with the 2026 Anísio Teixeira Award was Professor Dr. Helena Costa Lopes de Freitas, a retired professor from the Department of Administration and School Practice (Deprac) at the Faculty of Education of Unicamp. With a career spanning four decades dedicated to teacher training, the researcher continues to actively participate in the debate on the National Teacher Training Policy, with a current focus on the discussion surrounding the National Common Base for Teacher Training (BNC-Formação), a topic that remains central to her reflection on the direction of basic education in the country.

The award recipients were chosen following nominations from their respective Technical-Scientific Councils of the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES). Subsequently, the names were deliberated by the CAPES/MEC Higher Council. Finally, they were approved by the presidency of the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel.

CAPES has announced the winners of the award, distributed between the Basic Education and Higher Education categories. Awarded every five years, the Anísio Teixeira Prize recognizes significant contributions to the development of education and science in Brazil. In this edition, due to CAPES' 75th anniversary, the number of awardees was increased from 10 to 20, ten in each category, with the awards ceremony held in July during the anniversary celebrations of the agency linked to the Ministry of Education.

Academic trajectory
Professor Helena holds a degree in Social Work from the Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas (1968), a master's degree in Education (1979), and a doctorate in Education (1993), both from the Faculty of Education at the State University of Campinas, which has always occupied a prominent place in the educational policy scene. In 1995, she completed a post-doctorate at the University of São Paulo, researching teacher training in Cuba and Russia, under the supervision of Professor Selma Garrido.

Throughout her career, she has dedicated herself to the field of teacher training, with an emphasis on topics such as teacher education, training policies, curriculum guidelines, undergraduate degrees, the Pedagogy course, and the educators' movement. She is a member of the National Association for the Training of Education Professionals (ANFOPE), an organization to which she has been affiliated since the 1970s and of which she was president for six terms.

Her career also spanned various levels of public administration. Between February 2008 and January 2009, she was the General Coordinator of Support Programs for Teacher Training and Development in Basic Education at CAPES. From February 2009 to August 2011, she worked in the General Coordination of Teacher Training at the Ministry of Education's Basic Education Secretariat, responsible for continuing education programs for basic education teachers and the Profuncionário program. At the Campinas Municipal Government, she directed the Pedagogical Department of the Education Secretariat from 2005-2006 and from January to September 2013.

News received with surprise.
Recalling the moment she was informed of the honor, Helena recounted that the news arrived through a colleague at CAPES, linked to the Higher Education Technical-Scientific Council, with whom she has maintained contact for years. According to her, the call brought a mixture of joy and reflection: her first reaction was surprise, followed by a question about the reasons that led her to be remembered for an award that bears the name of Anísio Teixeira, a Brazilian educator whose work, since the 1960s, marked the defense of public, secular, and inclusive education in Brazil.

For the professor, this recognition has a meaning that goes beyond personal experience. She highlighted the importance of valuing those who broke down barriers and faced different views of education, society, school, and university over time.

A collective achievement
When asked if she saw the award as a kind of trophy for her career, Helena Costa Lopes de Freitas preferred another interpretation: for her, the honor is a tribute to a historical and essentially collective struggle. The professor recalled her long history of work at ANFOPE, an organization that aims to strengthen the training of teachers and education professionals throughout the country.

According to her, this affiliation was a choice she considers positive and that directly contributed to giving centrality to her work in the field of teacher training — a path that, in the honoree's own assessment, helps to explain the recognition now granted by CAPES.

Photograph taken in an auditorium with a wooden floor, where six people pose for a group photo. From left to right, the first woman wears a red button-down blouse, white trousers, and a light-colored belt. Next to her, the second woman wears a blue blouse under a dark cardigan, beige trousers, and carries a light-colored fabric bag on her shoulder. In the center, an elderly man with white hair wears a gray suit, light shirt, and tie, holding a rectangular metallic object that appears to be an award or trophy. Next to him, a middle-aged woman wears a patterned tunic in shades of blue and white over black trousers, with a light-colored scarf lightly draped over her shoulders and sandals. The fifth individual is a man with short gray hair, wearing a light dress shirt, a light-colored jacket, blue jeans, and dark shoes. Finally, on the right, a bearded man wears a dark sweater with a gray scarf and dark trousers. The room is illuminated by stage lights positioned overhead, projecting a soft glow over the group. In the background, a white screen displays part of a text, and the silhouettes of other people in the audience can be seen partially blurred. End of description.

The event was attended by the Associate Director of FE-Unicamp, Prof. Dr. Guilherme do Val Toledo Prado, the Director of Distance Education at CAPES, Prof. Dr. Antonio Carlos Amorim, and Prof. Dr. Dermeval Saviani, emeritus researcher at CNational Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq).

About the Anísio Teixeira Award

Patron of Brazilian public education, Anísio Spínola Teixeira (1900–1971) He was one of the main formulators of educational thought in the country and a defender of a public, free, secular, democratic, and high-quality school for all. Influenced by the ideas of the New School movement and the American philosopher John Dewey, he dedicated his career to modernizing the Brazilian educational system, advocating for an education focused on the integral development of students and the strengthening of citizenship. Among his contributions are the creation of the University of the Federal District in 1935, his participation in the founding of the University of Brasília (UnB) in 1962, and his decisive role in structuring institutions focused on research and educational planning.

In recognition of the importance of his legacy, the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) established the Anísio Teixeira AwardThis award is designed to honor individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of education and science in Brazil. The award aims to recognize researchers who have significantly impacted teacher training, knowledge production, and the strengthening of Brazilian educational policies.