A instrução pública primária e os salários dos/as mestres/ as de primeiras letras. província da Parahyba do Norte. 1864- 1874

Abstract

This work aims to describe how public education was understood in Paraíba in the 19th century, and what the salaries of primary school teachers were between 1864 and 1874. It uses the theoretical framework of social history. The time frame begins in 1864 with Law No. 178 of November 30th, which divided primary public education into elementary and higher levels, with elementary education further divided into 1st and 2nd grades. This regulation promoted reforms in primary and secondary public education. It concludes in 1874 with Law No. 564 of September 28th, which created a chair at the Provincial Lyceum to train male teachers for primary education. The law indicates the creation of a class schedule exclusively for male teachers, leading us to hypothesize about new educational projects focused solely on male teachers during this period. The collection of laws and regulations on education, the book of miscellaneous documents on education, and the reports of provincial presidents are the documentary bases of this research, with a bibliographic review of the productions of Paraíba historiography that deal with primary education and the salaries of education workers. The study discusses legislation as a mediator of public power and the understanding of public education as a means to achieve progress, civilization, and the propagation of moral values disseminated in the 19th century in the province. The results of the discussions indicate salaries divided by grades in 1864, the non-applicability of the 1864 law, and the validity of the 1858 law until 1874, a period that marks the end of this study. Furthermore, changes in salary divisions by grades and locations indicate the process of constructing the teaching profession, marked by changes in salary legislation and debates about the production of teaching and the role of teachers and education for the progress of that society.