Escola sem Partido explained

Escola sem Partido (Portuguese for Nonpartisan School) is a political movement in Brazil aimed at curbing what its supporters perceive to be ideological indoctrination in schools and universities.

History

The movement began in 2004, when attorney Miguel Nagib created a website where parents could post complaints of teachers and professors who were supposedly indoctrinating their children politically.^{[1] [2]} Since then, there have been several proposals and bills introduced nationwide inspired by the "Escola sem Partido" concept, one of which was approved in the state of Alagoas in 2016.^[3] A federal bill, Bill no. 193, was introduced in 2016 by Senator Magno Malta.^[4]

Repercussion

The movement has gained steam in 2018, with the election of Jair Bolsonaro as president.^[5] Bolsonaro is a supporter of "Escola sem Partido", as was his former Minister of Education, Ricardo Vélez Rodríguez.^[6]

Opponents of "Escola sem Partido" say that the movement's proposals would restrict freedom of speech in the classroom and would harm critical thinking.^[7] Federal deputy Erika Kokay suggested that a "Escola sem Partido" bill would turn teachers into "enemies of the nation".^[8] In November 2018 the Global Campaign for Education released a motion criticizing "Escola sem Partido".^[9]

Notes and References

1. News: Bedinelli . Talita . 2016-06-25 . “O professor da minha filha comparou Che Guevara a São Francisco de Assis” . “My daughter’s teacher compared Che Guevara to Saint Francis of Assisi” . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160627141050/https://brasil.elpais.com/brasil/2016/06/23/politica/1466654550_367696.html . 2016-06-27 . . . pt-BR.
2. News: Mariz . Renata . Barretto . Eduardo . 2017-07-29 . Pais interferem em escolas que abordam questão de gênero nos livros e vetam conteúdo . Parents interfere in schools that address gender issues in books and veto content . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170729094842/https://oglobo.globo.com/sociedade/educacao/pais-interferem-em-escolas-que-abordam-questao-de-genero-nos-livros-vetam-conteudo-21644988 . 2017-07-29 . . . pt-BR.
3. News: Moreno . Ana Carolina . Tenente . Luiza . Fajardo . Vanessa . 2016-08-03 . 'Escola sem Partido': entenda a polêmica em torno do movimento e seus projetos de lei . ‘Nonpartisan School’: understand the controversy surrounding the movement and its bills . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160804215805/https://g1.globo.com/educacao/noticia/entenda-a-polemica-em-torno-do-escola-sem-partido.ghtml . 2016-08-04 . . pt-BR.
4. News: Amâncio . Thiago . 2016-08-12 . Estudantes protestam contra Escola Sem Partido em colégio de SP . Students protest against Escola Sem Partido in a school in SP . limited . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160813020155/https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/educacao/2016/08/1802103-estudantes-protestam-contra-escola-sem-partido-em-colegio-de-sp.shtml . 2016-08-13 . . . pt-BR.
5. https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/educacao/2018/10/motores-de-bolsonaro-escola-sem-partido-e-ideologia-de-genero-tem-raizes-religiosas.shtml Motores de Bolsonaro, Escola sem Partido e ideologia de gênero têm raízes religiosas, Folha
6. https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/educacao/2018/11/sera-uma-coisa-moderada-diz-futuro-ministro-sobre-projeto-escola-sem-partido.shtml 'Será uma coisa moderada', diz futuro ministro sobre projeto Escola sem Partido, Folha
7. https://www.cartacapital.com.br/sociedade/escola-sem-partido-como-educadores-nao-podemos-aceitar Como educadores, não podemos aceitar a Escola sem Partido, Carta Capital
8. https://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/rio-politics/controversial-education-project-divides-brazils-lower-house/ Controversial Education Project Divides Brazil’s Lower House, Rio Times
9. https://exame.abril.com.br/brasil/mais-de-150-entidades-de-87-paises-se-unem-contra-escola-sem-partido/ Mais de 150 entidades de 87 países se unem contra Escola Sem Partido, Exame