Odebrecht concludes sale of Inova BH

As part of its process to restructure the business and shore up its capital, the Odebrecht Group has concluded the divestment of Transpes – Transportes Pesados S/A of Inova BH, Brazil’s first public-private partnership (PPP) in the field of education.

The pioneering initiative is responsible for building and managing 51 schools in Belo Horizonte, the state capital of Minas Gerais, namely 46 Municipal Children’s Education Units (Umeis) and five Municipal Basic Education Schools (Emefs). Over 30,000 students and more than 3,000 professionals working in the municipal government of Belo Horizonte were able to use the services offered by the concessionaire over the five years it was managed by Odebrecht. The 500 team members working at Inova BH will be maintained by the new private partner and there will be no interruption in services.

For 20 years, Inova BH has built, operated and rendered all non-educational services at the schools associated with the concession contract. The government remains the authority responsible for the educational activities. In addition to building the 51 schools, the private partner renders services such as reception, security, cleaning, landscaping, pest control, hydraulic, electrical and building maintenance, supply of furniture, supply and laundering of clothes, and supply of disposable materials. Every year, Inova BH offers around 25,000 openings to students in Belo Horizonte.

According to Clébio Batista, CEO of Inova BH, the challenge of creating the first educational PPP operation in Brazil has produced many learning experiences. “We achieved the goal of teachers and pedagogic coordinators not having to dedicate time to anything other than educating our children. Projects like this one help to transform public education in the city and the country,” said Batista.