Q&A with Viviane Senna: Hope and perseverance to reduce the educational deficit

I had the honor of participating in the FORMULA 1 LENOVO GRANDE PRêMIO DE S?O PAULO 2024 in Brazil last year.

It was a significant moment for me, for Lenovo, for Formula 1? and for Brazil. I was born in Brazil and will always have a special connection with this beautiful country, its people, history and culture. Being present at an event like this, representing Lenovo, was very special for me.

This race also marks 30 years since the death of the legendary Ayrton Senna, an incredible driver who competed in Formula 1 from 1984 to 1994, winning three Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship titles. His legacy changed F1 forever, and he remains to this day a Brazilian national hero.

After his death, Senna’s family created the Ayrton Senna Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming lives through education. Lenovo has been working with the Institute since 2019 to support this essential work, which has already brought educational initiatives to more than 3,000 Brazilian municipalities.

I have always believed that access to education and technology are the means to achieve progress, both in individual lives and in society as a whole. While material goods come and go, education remains forever. With so much knowledge and learning available online, bridging the digital divide is crucial. As our lives evolve into increasingly digital spheres, not having access to or understanding of technology can be a major disadvantage.

This makes education and technology natural partners. Providing access to both is a cause that is very important to me, Viviane Senna, and our teams at Lenovo and the Ayrton Senna Institute.

During the events honoring the 30 years of the driver's legacy and the founding of the Ayrton Senna Institute, I had the opportunity to sit down with Viviane Senna, Ayrton's sister and President of the institution, to discuss in more depth the partnership between Lenovo and the Institute, its goals and hopes for the future.

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Ayrton Senna was not only a Formula 1 champion, but also a great advocate for the power of education. How did he come to believe so deeply in this? How do he and his values continue to influence your life and work today?

Viviane: In addition to his passion for speed and motorsports, Ayrton also had a passion for Brazil. It was from this passion that Ayrton's dream was born — a dream of doing something to change the Brazilian reality and offer something that he had, but that most children and young people do not have: opportunity.

He shared with me this desire to do something for Brazil in early 1994, but unfortunately there was no time to make this idea a reality. My family and I decided to carry on his dream, and in November 1994 we founded the Ayrton Senna Institute, with the goal of creating more opportunities through education.

More than his victories and achievements, Ayrton left us a set of values, such as: persistence, determination, discipline and a deep pride for our country. These values not only shaped a generation and our Institute, but continue to inspire people around the world.

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What are the main challenges that still need to be faced in Brazilian education?

Viviane: The challenges facing Brazilian education are enormous and complex. Imagine Brazil as a swordsman facing two critical duels at the same time.

On the one hand, we have battles that seem to belong to the 19th and 20th centuries – learning to read, write, perform calculations and think logically. These are challenges that many countries overcame decades ago, but that still persist in our country.

Today, out of every ten children who enter the first year of elementary school, only six complete high school. Of these, only three are fully proficient in Portuguese and only one has a full command of mathematics: this is a huge waste of resources and human potential. Therefore, the challenges of learning are still enormous. If it were a computer factory, for example, it would deliver less than half of the computers expected and those it did produce would still have serious defects or poor quality. An inefficient school not only wastes talent, but also generates high costs for the country.

On the other hand, this same swordsman needs to prepare himself to face entirely new and emerging challenges of this century. We are living through an unprecedented technological revolution, with profound changes in the ways we learn, relate and work. The world is becoming more globalized, requiring people to know how to cooperate across geographic and cultural borders. In addition, we are facing an increasingly urgent climate crisis. To deal with this new reality, schools need to develop skills such as creativity to propose new solutions, flexibility to deal with the unexpected, teamwork to act collaboratively with different cultures and realities, among other fundamental skills such as persistence, empathy, focus and organization.

Education is a determining factor in the economic, social and political development of a country. The costs of not having it range from low productivity and competitiveness of the country, low insertion in the job market, low income, social inequality, violence, low quality of the political system and democracy.

Therefore, education must be the basis of a country, and only with it will it be possible to achieve sustainable, inclusive and promising development for future generations.

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What key levers do you consider most effective for supporting students and educators today?

Viviane: In our experience, some levers have proven to be fundamental to improving the quality of education throughout the country. It is essential to invest in the training of educators, strengthen educational management and encourage political commitment to education among our representatives, ensuring the continuity of policies and plans. I would also add to this list efforts to ensure quality literacy, which ensures that children learn the basics in the first years of school so that they can continue learning throughout their entire school journey, avoiding issues such as grade repetition and school dropout, which are still significant problems in Brazil.

The Ayrton Senna Institute has focused on these levers to improve the quality of education, and the results have been very positive. One example is the city of Sobral, in Ceará. More than 20 years ago, the city occupied the last position in the national education ranking. Today, it is not only among the top, but has also become a global reference in literacy policies.

We have been partners with their educational network since 1997, bringing these levers into play. In 1996, more than 80% of students were behind in relation to the expected grade for their age, evidencing great difficulties with learning and school progression. More than 15 years later, in 2021, the municipality managed to eliminate this index, proving that it is possible to change this reality by activating these levers in a continuous, structured and committed way.

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In the 30 years of incredible work by the Ayrton Senna Institute, what are you most proud of in the Institute’s trajectory? Viviane: The Ayrton Senna Institute acts as an innovation center that produces knowledge in favor of quality education. Our work combines three fundamental pillars: large-scale impact, efficiency, and the production of knowledge based on scientific evidence. We do not seek only to achieve results, but also to transform the educational scenario of countless cities throughout Brazil.

I like to compare our work to that of a research laboratory. Just as a laboratory investigates and develops vaccines or medicines to combat diseases, we study the challenges of education, create effective solutions and ensure that they are disseminated and applied on a large scale, with the aim of guaranteeing access to quality education.

Over the past 3 decades, the Ayrton Senna Institute has reached every Brazilian state and more than 3,000 municipalities, providing more than 36 million services to children and young people. However, our greatest achievement goes beyond the impressive numbers. This change is reflected in the daily reality of millions of students, educators and families, highlighting a legacy that, I believe, is the true essence of our work.

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What teaching methods or programs have been most successful in rural or less developed regions of Brazil?

Viviane: The Ayrton Senna Institute adopts strategies that take into account the unique characteristics of each location. The variety of our programs serves different areas of Brazilian education, and the combination of monitoring, teacher training, and flexible models allows the programs to adapt to the different realities of the country. Partnerships with public administrators and decision-makers are essential to ensure this scale.

The municipality of Boca do Acre, in Amazonas, for example, has several transportation and logistical challenges. As a result, we implemented programs such as monitoring systems, diagnostic assessment, goal-setting to support local educational management, ongoing teacher and administrator training, and more. The result was reduced dropout and failure rates, as well as significant improvements in student performance in assessments.

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Given Brazil’s challenges in literacy and school dropout rates, what role does socio-emotional education play in students’ development? How has this focus impacted students’ overall development?

Viviane: Socio-emotional education or soft skills are essential to prepare students not only for the school environment, but also for life's challenges. They develop fundamental skills such as creativity, teamwork, cooperation, resilience, empathy, and openness to new things, skills that become even more critical in an increasingly connected, dynamic, and unpredictable world.

To enter the job market, for example, young people are expected to know how to work as a team, cooperate and have empathy to live with differences and create connections. To deal with unexpected situations in life and know how to find solutions, it is necessary to be very open to new things, creative and resilient. As a society, we will increasingly need to work together to face the complex challenges of our century, such as climate change, epidemics, etc. All these skills involve developing socio-emotional capabilities. .

Furthermore, research by the Ayrton Senna Institute has already proven that socio-emotional education directly impacts students' academic performance. By developing skills such as discipline, self-confidence and persistence, students are able to learn more effectively and stay engaged in school, reducing school dropout rates. We have also observed positive effects on coexistence within schools, with the reduction of conflicts, prevention of violence and bullying, in addition to the creation of a more welcoming and conducive environment for learning.

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How do you think technology can help reduce the educational gap in Brazil? How do you see technology contributing to education in the future?

Viviane: Technology alone will not transform education, but when combined with good teaching practices and innovative initiatives, it can significantly improve the quality of education and expand opportunities. Brazil still faces structural challenges in education, such as inequality in access to learning resources, literacy gaps, and high dropout rates. Technology can be a great ally in reducing these gaps, providing tools that personalize teaching, expand the scope of knowledge, and facilitate ongoing training for educators. Mastery of digital tools is already a basic requirement in the job market, and schools need to prepare young people for this reality.

But this technological inclusion will only be effective if education is capable of forming critical, creative citizens who are prepared to deal with complex challenges. Therefore, our focus must be on the strategic use of technology, ensuring that it is a means to enhance learning and not an end in itself.

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How can partnerships like ours (Lenovo and Instituto Ayrton Senna) help overcome challenges in education?

Viviane: I often say that a company doesn’t need to go beyond what it already does to help Brazil. In Lenovo’s case, expertise in technological innovation is what the country needs, and it is with this that we impact millions of lives. What makes this partnership even more special is the fact that each Lenovo customer is also part of this transformation. Part of the proceeds from computer sales are invested directly in innovative educational projects at the Ayrton Senna Institute.

What excites me about this partnership is the shared vision of the future. We want to build a better Brazil through education and innovation. Together, we are: bringing innovation to schools, training teachers, developing quality educational content and implementing innovative projects that improve learning.

With this partnership, we ensure that more and more students have access to quality education, regardless of their social status. We combat school dropout and promote inclusion, positively impacting the lives of thousands of children and young people throughout Brazil.

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In 2020, we reported that our partnership generated over $1 million in contributions to the Institute, benefiting over 150,000 students each year. Years later, what else have Lenovo and the Institute done together that you’re proud of? What results from our partnership would you like to share with the world?

Viviane: The partnership between the Ayrton Senna Institute and Lenovo continues to be a source of great pride and transformative impact. In 2024, the most recent year of our partnership, we supported and accelerated education through approximately 100,000 student services. Since 2020, there have been more than 1.9 million services provided to children and young people. These numbers are part of the 36 million total services provided by the Ayrton Senna Institute in its 30-year history.

These results are a direct reflection of Lenovo’s continued support, which has been instrumental in enabling our programs and expanding our ability to transform lives through education. The impact we create together goes far beyond the numbers - we are building a legacy of opportunity and inclusion for generations to come.

This partnership is a powerful example of how innovation and education can work together to change the reality of a country, and we are excited to continue this journey alongside Lenovo.

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What is your vision for the next decade in terms of educational reform in Brazil? What new skills and technologies do you believe will be essential for the next generation? How is the Institute addressing these emerging needs?

Viviane: Brazil faces the challenge of overcoming historical obstacles, such as literacy and ensuring that young people complete their studies, while at the same time preparing new generations with the skills for the 21st century. In the next decade, Brazilian education will need to act on both fronts, correcting past setbacks while still looking to the future.

Our work at the Institute is based precisely on these two challenges: on the one hand, we aim to ensure quality literacy and improve learning, and on the other, we bring educational programs to public schools to develop soft skills, or the so-called socio-emotional skills, of young people. These are skills such as creativity, resilience, tolerance and teamwork. These are just some of the skills that the new world of work will require, all of which are being shaped by the scientific and technological revolution we are experiencing.

Combining scientific evidence, efficiency and large scale, the Institute brings educational solutions to the entire country that address the major challenges facing education today.

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With AI and data-driven tools becoming increasingly accessible, do you see IAS leveraging these technologies to improve education in Brazil?

Viviane: Artificial Intelligence has already proven to be a powerful tool to assist educators in their day-to-day activities, especially in time-consuming administrative tasks. AI can analyze large volumes of student data, provide real-time insights, and enable teachers to make faster and more accurate decisions.

We also see possibilities for mapping students' individual needs, identifying the most effective teaching methods for each child, the most difficult subjects to understand and adapting individual trajectories, among other uses.

For education managers, AI can support them with data analysis to monitor educational progress in real time, helping to adjust educational policies according to regional needs and predict future demands, optimizing resource and professional planning.

The Institute also directs research and innovation efforts toward the use of AI in educational assessments, exploring formats such as audio, video, and other interactions with students. In addition, we are investigating ways to make assessments more sustainable, intentional, and personalized, while ensuring that the teacher remains at the center of the educational process and that technology is a support, not a replacement.

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How can the international community support and learn from the work done by the IAS, especially in terms of educational equity and the use of technology for social purposes?

Viviane: The Ayrton Senna Institute has always operated with an ethic of co-responsibility, particularly when it comes to education, a fundamental pillar for the country’s development. The business sector plays a crucial role in this collaborative ecosystem. Each partnership, with its unique contributions and commitment, is essential to bringing our projects to schools and positively impacting the lives of thousands of students throughout Brazil.

International collaboration can amplify these efforts by fostering dialogue, sharing innovative practices, and supporting investments in programs that advance educational equity. The use of technology, especially tools such as AI, can be further explored and adapted to different contexts, leveraging our learnings to improve education globally while addressing regional challenges.

Our work as an innovation center is recognized by UNESCO and we are research partners of the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) in Brazil.

Finally, with the Brazilian Grand Prix as a backdrop, how does this event inspire you personally, just as it inspired Ayrton, to continue fighting for a better future for young Brazilians?

Viviane: At a time when the world is facing unprecedented challenges, Ayrton’s message of hope and perseverance is more relevant than ever. His legacy reminds us that together, we can overcome obstacles and shape a promising future for generations to come. Just as Ayrton inspired millions with his determination and courage on the track, we are inspired to continue to strive for a brighter future for Brazil’s youth, empowering them with the tools and opportunities they need to succeed.

Emily: Thank you so much for sharing your vision and voice with us, Viviane. It is an honor for Lenovo to be part of the crucial work you do for young Brazilians.

“Children are the future; if we want to change something, we need to start with children, through education.” - Ayrton Senna