THE KNOWLEDGE OLYMPICS AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO OVERCOME FAILURES AND ENHANCE ADVANCES IN EDUCATION

Abstract

This report describes a 2021 pedagogical intervention at ECITE Advogado Nobel Vita (Coremas, Paraíba, Brazil) that leveraged systematic student participation in Knowledge Olympiads (ONC, OBB, and OBC) to curb school dropout and abandonment while boosting learning outcomes, particularly in Natural Sciences and in reinforcing Portuguese Language and Mathematics descriptors. Grounded in Brazil’s BNCC, the project aligned core skills (EM13CNT104,   EM13CNT202,   EM13CNT203,   EM13CNT207,   EM13CNT301, EM13CNT302, EM13CNT304, EM13CNT310) with reading, problem-solving, and data- analysis descriptors in Portuguese (D6–D12, D14, D16, D18, D19, D23) and Mathematics (D15, D16, D27, D32, D33, D34). Methodologically, it mobilized students across terms, used remote platforms (Google Classroom and Meet), and delivered targeted preparation for interdisciplinary exams. Outcomes were notable: in ONC, 223 students participated, yielding two bronze medals and four honorable mentions in 2020, and 23 students advanced to the second phase in 2021; in OBB, from over 40,000 first-phase participants and just over 4,000 nationwide qualifiers to the second phase, Paraíba had 66 approved candidates, only 10 from public schools, of which 8 were from ECITE; in OBC, only two students statewide progressed, both from the school. System- level performance also improved: the school reached an IDEB of 4.2 in 2019, surpassing the 2019 target of 3.6 and the 2021 target of 3.8, signaling positive impact on achievement. Evidence points to heightened engagement, focus, autonomy, and academic maturity, with better internal assessments and gains in Mathematics and Portuguese proficiency, alongside a strengthened scientific culture and student retention. We conclude that integrating knowledge olympiads into the curriculum and BNCC skill development provides annual feedback, short-term goals, and strong motivation, forming an effective, inclusive, and scalable strategy for learning recovery and advancement; scaling should include additional competitions, institutional partnerships, sustained teacher development, and continuity of hybrid practices.