A política educacional no governo Lula nos anos de 2023 e 2024: desafios e possibilidades

Abstract

This research focuses on the challenges and possibilities of the Educational Policy during Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's third governmental term. The guiding question of the investigation is: What are the challenges and possibilities of the Educational Policy during Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's third governmental term (2023 and 2024) in rescuing a public, secular, free, and socially equitable education system? Its theoretical and epistemological framework is rooted in Historical and Dialectical Materialism, reflecting the author’s social and political commitment to the historical possibility of transforming a capitalist reality marked by social inequality. From this perspective, the study aims to uncover the challenges and possibilities concerning the ongoing Educational Policy during Lula's third governmental term. The specific objectives are: a) To reflect on the historical process through which the Educational Policy has developed in Brazil, particularly during the period of re-democratization, marked by significant political, economic, and social changes; b) To identify the advance of neoliberalism in the context of educational policies between 2003 and 2022; and c) To analyze the challenges of Lula’s new administration for Brazilian public education and the possibilities of the newly implemented policies. The main authors supporting the research include Antonio Gramsci (2024), Eneida Oto Shiroma; Maria Célia Marcondes de Moraes; Olinda Evangelista (2007), Sofia Lerche Vieira, Isabel Maria Sabino de Farias (2011), Ricardo Antunes (2005; 2006), Roberto Leher (2023), João Cezar de Castro Rocha (2023), and other Marxist scholars who contribute to the understanding of the subject under investigation. It is important to emphasize that the research adopts a qualitative and documentary approach, involving the reading and interpretation of bills, laws, decrees, ordinances, and resolutions related to the topic. The research findings indicate that Lula's third governmental term, still ongoing, has been implementing some policies aimed at restoring educational principles undermined during the administrations of his predecessors. However, despite winning the 2022 elections, Lula has not achieved hegemony due to resistance from conservative groups in Brazilian society, particularly in the National Congress. Furthermore, the composition of the Ministry of Education and the government’s openness to education entrepreneurs highlight its central contradiction: partially addressing the interests of the working class while simultaneously serving those who see education as fertile ground for capital expansion.