ELAS Fund, Unibanco Institute, Carlos Chagas Foundation and UN Women, partners in the Public Notice School Management for Equity: ELAS in the Exact Sciences, are organizing two events in March to discuss gender and race equality in public education and the inclusion of girls in the exact sciences and technologies: the 1st Elas Nas Exatas Seminar and the 3rd ELAS Dialogue in the Exact Sciences.

"The ELAS in Exact Sciences Seminar and Dialogue is an unprecedented opportunity to broaden the national debate on the inclusion of girls in the exact sciences and technologies - who will be the country's future scientists," says Amalia Fischer, general coordinator of the ELAS Fund.

"These two events are part of a broader project to influence the country's educational policies, based on concrete experiences about the importance of creating opportunities for young women to succeed, and in real conditions of equality, also in the field of exact sciences and technologies," says Sandra Unbehaum, coordinator of the Carlos Chagas Foundation's Research Department.

"ELAS in Exact Sciences gives us the opportunity to reaffirm that public schools are decisive in articulating gender equality with scientific and technological knowledge and digital skills. Changes in terms of incentives, investments and technical development need to happen now. Only then will girls and adolescents be able to be part of the digital revolution that is taking place all over the world," says Nadine Gasman, representative of UN Women Brazil.

"Girls perform well in mathematics throughout elementary and middle school, but in high school this performance declines. This decline in learning throughout the learning cycle is largely the result of the socialization process - in the family and at school. Society's patterns of discrimination and stigma are reflected within the school. However, the school needs to accept inequalities and promote equity, acting in favor of young people and expanding their possibilities for choice," explains Ricardo Henriques, superintendent of the Unibanco Institute.

The 1st Elas Nas Exatas Seminar will take place on March 19 at the Museum of Tomorrow. The Seminar will create a space for dialog between experts, students and education managers on the importance of promoting equity and tackling gender inequality and discrimination as fundamental elements to be considered in public education policies.

Among the participants are Argentine researcher Gloria Bonder, director of the UNESCO Regional Chair "Women, Science and Technology", sociologist Suelaine Carneiro, from Geledés - Black Women's Institute, and Professor Alice de Paiva Abreu, Director of GenderInSITE, an international program that promotes gender discussions in science, innovation, technology and engineering. The full program and registration link are available at http://www.seminarioelasnasexatas.org.br/. The event has a partnership with Canal Futura for live broadcasts on www.futura.org.br and