School of Technical Education of the State of Pará Dr. Celso Malcher: a debate on technicist education and emancipatory education

Abstract

The objective of this article is to analyze the actions of the Projeto Jovem de Futuro in the light of the debate on the concepts of technical and emancipatory education. Developed at the School of Technical Education of the State of Pará Dr. Celso Malcher, under the initiative of Banco Itaú and Instituto Unibanco, the Projeto Jovem de Futuro aims to raise the Basic Education Development Index (IDEB) by improving writing and reading, with a view to minimizing school evasion and failure. Starting from this empirical field and based on the perspective according to which education and teaching are intrinsically political actions, this work intends to respond to the following problematization: the pedagogical practices of the Projeto Jovem de Futuro specifically in the former Escola Estadual de Ensino Médio Dr. Celso Malcher align with which conceptions of education? To address this issue, the article is based on the theoretical framework specific to Freire’s critical pedagogy. In this sense, the analysis of the actions of the Projeto Jovem de Futuro will be carried out from the perspective of the concepts: oppression, awareness and emancipation. In methodological terms, the study was based on a qualitative field research, using semi-structured interviews as a research technique and theoretical-bibliographical study. The results reveal that the conception of education that materialized in the actions of the Projeto Jovem de Futuro was one of liberating and critical inspiration. By encouraging the protagonism of students, especially the most vulnerable in the peripheral neighborhoods of Belém/PA, the Project aligned itself with Paulo Freire’s humanist approach pedagogy. Our interviews illustrate how Freirean ideas can be practiced in schools and in needy communities. The article concludes that emancipatory pedagogy is a key element that can help in the formation of critical, engaged and reflective young people, capable of intervening in the social world in which they live.