A relação entre ensino médio e trabalho como dispositivo de governo dos jovens em Mato Grosso do Sul (1961-2021)

Abstract

The relationship between secondary education and work in Mato Grosso do Sul serves as a governance mechanism for the youth, influencing their subjectivities in a way that supports the economic rationalities typical of Brazilian society since the latter half of the 20th century. This governance mechanism has historically taken two forms, shaped by specific practices that position the state's youth at the context of the capitalist structure. This was the central thesis of research aimed at analyzing the discursive and non-discursive practices that, from 1961 to 2021, shaped the relationship between secondary education and work in Mato Grosso do Sul, and the related subjective regulations of the youth. The timeframe of the study spans from the enactment of the first Law of Guidelines and Bases of National Education, which did not incorporate work as a foundational principle of secondary education, to the publication of a guiding curriculum document for secondary education in Mato Grosso do Sul. The research analyzed a variety of documents, including newspaper articles, laws, school curricula, political statements, and statistical data, treating all sources as equally significant to understand their productivity. The theoretical and methodological frameworks of Michel Foucault, such as apparatus, statement, subjectivity, and governance, were employed. A genealogical history inspired by Foucault was conducted, questioning practices from the perspective of knowledge-power relations. Initially, the origin and emergence of the relationship between secondary education and work were analyzed, noting the social and institutional struggles to educate the youth of Mato Grosso in the perspective of work and govern them according to liberal rationality. During the 1960s, there was a push towards offering youth education aligned with work due to the democratization of public schooling. However, this only materialized from 1971 during the Civil-Military Dictatorship, with the provision of technical-professional courses aimed at forming a qualified human capital for developmental nationalism, which, however, did little to solve the problems of the time. In 1982, following the failure of this model, a dual offering in secondary schools was implemented, which lasted until the mid-next decade. From 1996 onwards, the relationship between secondary education and work was influenced by neoliberal logic, directing the governance of the youth population within this rationality. The analyzed statements from this period show the subjectivation of the youth as individuals who must self-manage, becoming autonomous, flexible, and responsible for their life paths. This dynamic reflects the formation of human capital where the job market is the guiding axis of individual and competitive actions. Meanwhile, resistance efforts by individuals, also evident in politics, have emerged as possibilities for creating a different reality for the youth of Mato Grosso do Sul. By 2021, with the implementation of a "new" secondary education, work forms the core of its formative program, manifesting in various ways. Historically, the relationship between secondary education and work in Mato Grosso do Sul has been composed of heterogeneous elements, forming a network that captures the youth, directing the governanceof their subjectivities in market terms.