School without political bias. What does that even mean?

The so-called "School Without Political Parties Program" [1] It presents itself as an initiative of students and parents, who are supposedly concerned about the degree of political and ideological contamination in Brazilian schools at all levels. But that's not the case; it's just another example of the conservative shift, another movement that seeks to assert its own ideology and does so in a disingenuous way.

Trying to introduce oneself ideologically aseptic The group reveals itself to be ideological and partisan when it states:Under the pretext of transmitting a "critical view" of reality to students, an organized army of militants disguised as teachers takes advantage of academic freedom and the secrecy of the classroom to impose their own worldview on them.".

What the group led by a gentleman named Miguel Nagib intends to implement a kind of McCarthyism in our schools, implementing hateful censorship through police-like surveillance of content presented by our teachers. The journalist Luiz Carlos Azenha wrote a beautiful article.[2] Regarding this issue.

There is even a bill currently being processed in Congress which, under the pretext of defending principles such as "political, ideological and religious neutrality of the State", "pluralism of ideas in the academic environment", and "freedom of conscience and belief", in practice places the teacher under constant surveillance, mainly to prevent them from offending the moral convictions of parents.

But what moral convictions of the country are at risk of being challenged, according to the zealous students and parents?

The Federal Constitution answers this question. In its article 205, the Constitution states as the primary objective of education the full development of individuals and their empowerment for the exercise of citizenship, and then also states that the purpose of the educational process is qualification for work.

There are no useless statements in our constitution. The established order (1st, empowerment for citizenship and 2nd, professional qualification) is not accidental. Our constitution seeks to guide state action within a pluralistic vision and approach to national society.

In other words, school is a free space for the construction of citizenship, a space where ideas are freely expressed in a dialectical and magical process, a formative process of citizenship, a citizenship founded on respect and plurality; this is the country that our constituents indicated, a path that cannot be altered with opportunistic ordinary laws.

The "School Without Political Parties" Bill, as well as the so-called "School Without Political Parties Program," blatantly lie when they propose "ideological neutrality."ideological neutrality"It's impossible; we have to defend the plurality of ideas, the rich diversity as a necessary process in the daily construction of citizenship."

What this so-called "School Without Political Parties Program" aims to do is impose its ideology by promoting beliefs and values ​​compatible with it, discrediting ideas that may challenge its certainties and excluding forms of thought that conflict with its ideology. This so-called "School Without Political Parties Program" obscures social reality in order to favor its own ideology.

Another aspect to be observed is that there is no neutral ideology. On the contrary, ideology is a form of "identity thinking," which expels singularity, difference, and plurality beyond its borders; in other words, the opposite of ideology is not "truth" or "theory," but heterogeneity.

Therefore, the Bill under discussion reflects the discontent of those defeated in 1988, and the discourse that seeks to qualify it flirts with the unscrupulousness so characteristic of those who fight against the victory of the various emancipatory struggles enshrined in our constitution.

In these dark times, one of our tasks is to defend a society open to multiple and different worldviews; to maintain the school as a strategic space for political emancipation, coexistence with diversity, global understanding, and the construction of a culture of peace and respect.