Vozes da resistência: juventudes, reforma do Ensino Médio e as ocupações secundaristas em Montes Claros – MG (2016)

Abstract

High school is the final stage of Basic Education and, in addition to deepening knowledge acquired in elementary education, its objective is to prepare the student for the labor force and the exercise of citizenship. (BRASIL, 1996). However, its purposes are target of historical disputes that can be observed through a set of reforms reaching its organization. The most recent reform, from 2017 (Federal Law n. 13.415/17), brought about significant changes to the structure and curriculum of high school. Such changes, approved without a debate including the educational community, were preceded by displays of resistance that sparked discussions about the meaning of this school level. Therefore, resistance to changes in the organization of secondary education was, along with the constitution amendment that established a ceiling on public expenditures (PEC 241), one of the reasons that led collectives of high school students from all over the country to occupy their schools as a form of resistance against the proposals of state and federal governments in 2016. This study aimed to analyze these school occupation processes and, specifically, the perceptions and motivations of young high school students about their participation in the occupations of two schools in the city of Montes Claros, Minas Gerais. The study combined bibliographic research and interviews with 11 participants of the occupation movements in the city where this research was performed. The reason for carrying out this study is based on the current relevance of the topic and the fact that research on such occupations, within the city of Montes Claros, are still incipient. Therefore, we consider listening to the students who participated in the occupation movements significant, because they were subjects playing a political role in positioning themselves contrary to government decrees. By means of collected data analysis, it was possible to understand the motivations of the young school occupiers, as well as to understand the functioning and the routine within the occupation. Data reveals that, although PEC 241 has been proclaimed as the central reason for the occupation movements, the quality of high school is also at the heart of the struggle. And this quality school, in the context researched and in the perspective put forth by the students, is not one that focuses on preparing the youth for the job market, but one with integral education.