Student travels 185km by boat to Macapá and dreams of a nursing vacancy at Enem: 'I want to help my community'

More than 9 thousand students from the public school system in Amapá take the National High School Exam (Enem) tests this first Sunday (8). In Macapá, the Tiradentes State School worked as a support point, with lunch and transportation, for students coming from 5 municipalities where the exam is not administered, namely: Ferreira Gomes, Serra do Navio, Itaubal, Pracuúba and Cutias.

To take the test in the capital, student Thayla Thauane Santos, aged 18, had to face hours of navigation on the river, around 185 kilometers. She lives in the community of Carneiro, in the Bailique archipelago, district of Macapá, and attends high school at Escola Estadual Igarapé do Carneiro.

"The trip is exhausting because of the sea air and the time, as we arrived at dawn. But it's worth the effort for anyone who wants to achieve something in life. I've been preparing since I entered high school. I came in 6th place in the essay for the Young Senator program and it's gratifying to represent my school. I want to study nursing to help my community", said Thayla.

In addition to Thayla, another resident of the Carneiro community who had to travel to the capital was Fabrício Braga dos Santos, 20 years old.

"The trip was good, despite the difficulties in preparation. My goal is to get a good grade on Enem to be able to enter college," said Fabrício.

The two Bailique students were allocated to Macapá due to an error in the system of the National Institute of Educational Studies and Research Anísio Teixeira (Inep), according to the State Department of Education (Seed).

Despite the failure in the federal agency's registration, the Government of Amapá assumed the costs of transportation, reception and food for students on the two exam Sundays.

The routine of traveling to the capital was also part of the day of Nataly Evelin dos Santos, 17 years old, resident of the Corre Água community, in the Pacuí region. She studies at Escola Estadual São João and takes the Enem for the first time.

"I hope that everyone achieves their goals, because it is a huge effort for us to be here. Enem is very important for us in the interior, as it is the way to get into a good college", said Nataly.

The Secretary of State for Education, Simone Guedes, explained that the structure was organized to guarantee pedagogical support, transportation and meals for candidates before and after the exam.

"We set up logistics to serve 309 students. The State guaranteed transportation from the city of origin, reception upon arrival and food. After the test, they return to school, have dinner and go back to their homes", highlighted the secretary.

According to Seed, 9,049 3rd year students from the state public network are enrolled in this edition. In preparation, the department promoted pedagogical reviews throughout the year, including the "Aulão Show Enem", which brought together around 6 thousand students at the Macapá Sambadrome.

One of the new features of this edition is the integration of Enem with the Basic Education Assessment System (Saeb), determined by the Ministry of Education (MEC). With the change, students' participation and performance in the test will also be calculated to make up the state's educational index.

Furthermore, an ordinance published by the MEC validated the two Enem application Sundays as school days in the public network.

Enem 2026 will be held on the 8th and 15th of November. The main mechanism for accessing higher education in Brazil, the assessment allows candidates to compete for places at public universities through Sisu, in addition to scholarships from Prouni and financing from Fies, according to the rules of each program.