Season 3: Episode 3 - A Nation of Social Emotional Development with Pedro Cunha

The Learning Future Podcast with Louka Parry

Why would a country cut 25 - 50% of its curriculum from schools? And what are the most powerful learning experiences to place in this new space of autonomy? Discover what Portugal is doing at a National level to build future skills through social emotional development programs from one of its chief architects of change.

In this episode Louka speaks with Pedro Cunha, who served as Deputy Director-General for Education in Portugal across four governments (2010-2017), where he was responsible for school improvement, ECEC, early school leaving, Health and Wellbeing, Inclusive Education, Curricula Enrichment, Psychology and support services.

Pedro is now Director of the Gulbenkian Program for Knowledge at the Gulbenkian Foundation, and holds a Degree, Masters and Ph.D (ongoing) in the Psychology of Education. He started his career as a school psychologist, and as coordinator of social innovation programs on substance abuse, community development and social exclusion, was Program Director and Head of Education at the Aga Khan Foundation Portugal (2003-2010) and taught at Teachers College (2008-10).

He has worked as expert at the European Commission, UN, UNICEF and the OECD. He is part of a Think Tank at the National Professional Association of Psychologists and an Observatory at the University of Minho.