Methodist Educational System

Methodist Educational System

Methodist Church and education are strongly bonded. There are many evidences along the history: the Methodist Movement emerged in a school – Oxford University, in England; its founders were teachers, as well as ministers. In addition to this, Methodism has always seen education as a basic requirement for men and women to achieve a full and rich life, which was promised by Jesus Christ in the Gospel.

As a result of this assumption, the work of the Methodist Church and its schools is spread around all continents. There are around 750 schools, comprising nursery, primary and secondary education as well as colleges and universities. They are widely recognized educational institutions because of their academic excellence, emphasis on sports and culture. They are also recognized for holding people from different religious beliefs, by often reassuring John Wesley’s statement (considered the founder of Methodism): “if your heart is as my heart then give me your hand'.

In Brazil, more than 50 Methodist educational institutions are part of Southern Methodist Educational Network, under the leadership of COGEIME – Instituto Metodista de Serviços Educacionais, which mission is planning, coordinating, supervising, integrating, supporting, following and controlling the development of the Methodist schools in Brazil. COGEIME is also a founding member of other associations of the educational field such as: ABIEE – Associação Brasileira de Instituições Educacionais Evangélicas, which integrates the educational institutions affiliated with Evangelical churchs in our country; ALAIME – Associación Latinoamericana de Instituciones Metodistas de Educación, which embraces schools from Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Panama, Costa Rica and Mexico, as well as the Methodist educational institutions in Brazil. ALAIME intends, in a global education perspective, assist the continent schools in different areas. Yet, at a worldwide level, COGEIME took part in the foundation of IAMSCU – International Association of Methodist-Related Schools, Colleges and Universities, which comprises around 750 institutions and gather them to share meaningful educational experiences with the remarkable and historical tradition of Methodism.

All the Methodist schools comprise the METHODIST EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM. It is characterized by offering an inclusive, democratic and universal education. The Methodist educational emphasis, for more than two centuries of existence, has always been the citizenship built. In order to achieve it, the education offered in the Methodist Educational System of any place of the world has a sensitive and attentive look into time and space the schools belong to and it is built through educational, cultural, scientific and social actions.

The Methodist Educational System responsibly places itself facing the reality: the globalization process and the internationalization of education that brings enormous challenges.
But at the same time, it also recognizes that this process offers new perspectives in the work of building citizenship and global citizenship. And the present biggest challenge for the Methodist Educational System is to make the best of and socialize the opportunities offered by this globalization and internationalization, offering opportunities for the educational community and its institutional actors, so that they can effectively become global citizens.