Educação e território as escolas rurais de Esperança/PB à luz dos princípios da educação do campo

Abstract

Rural Education differs from Countryside Education in its commitment to aligning the curriculum and pedagogical practices with the reality of students in rural territories. In contrast, Rural Education, although intended for students residing in rural areas, adopts the same assumptions and practices as urban schools, disregarding the specificities of the peasant context. This study aims to analyze how school identity is constructed in schools located in the rural area of the municipality of Esperança – PB, in light of the principles of Countryside Education. The research seeks to answer the following question: why are the municipality's rural schools not formalized as Countryside Education schools and, consequently, adopt urban curricula even though they serve peasant students? To address this question, exploratory, documentary, and field research methodologies were employed. The exploratory research was fundamental in building the theoretical framework of the study; the documentary research contributed to the analysis of institutional documents, such as the Political-Pedagogical Project (PPP) of Severino Alves Barbosa School; and the field research allowed for an understanding of how these schools are structured, enabling direct dialogues with students, teachers, and members of the Cícero Romana I Settlement. The theoretical framework supporting this investigation includes authors such as Caldart (2003, 2004, 2012), Arroyo (2004, 2017), Haesbaert (2004, 2020), Fernandes (2004), Freire (1987, 2014), and Pinheiro (2023), among others, whose contributions were essential in deepening the understanding of the principles of Countryside Education and its relevance for transforming education in rural territories. This study is justified by the importance of promoting contextualized education that values the specificities of the countryside, contributes to the formation of a territorially referenced school identity, and meets the needs of peasant students.