Educação rural em Dourados: a Escola Geraldino Neves Correa (1942-1982)

Abstract

This dissertation aims to understand the rural primary school in the South of the old Mato Grosso, favoring, in the approach, the history of Geraldino Neves Correa School, at the district of Picadinha, in Dourados, during the period of 1942 to 1982. To do this, this research sought to analyze this educational institution, examining its process of installation and operation at Picadinha district, featuring the profile of its student and teacher board, and also analyzing its curricular organization. The time frame from 1942 to 1982 is justified by marking important moments in the history of the investigated school and of Brazilian educational policy. The approach in 1942 is justified by flagging the period of creation and installation of Geraldino Neves Correa School, and 1982 by marking a period of change at the school, as the introduction of Magisterium courses, aiming teachers training since, until that year, mostly was working in their profession without specific qualification for teaching. The research is oriented in the New Cultural History perspective. It is a documentary research with analysis of different natures of documents obtained at the Regional Documentation Centre of the Federal University of Grande Dourados – UFGD, at the Municipal Archive of Education of Dourados at Geraldino Neves Correa School files, from personal collections of school former teachers and information obtained from former residents of the district of Picadinha. The methodology of oral history was used to conduct the interviews; using this technique to record the narratives. The analysis of documentary and oral sources showed that the creation and installation of Geraldino Neves Correa School was motivated by the desire and need of the local population in relation to primary education, and political forces, especially the work of Councilor Weimar Torres, from Dourados. The school received, during the studied period, students who, mostly, were residing in Picadinha as well as some children from their surroundings, living in small and medium farms. The school faculty was initially constituted by teachers without qualification (lay teachers), residents in Picadinha. The educational program at the school, from 1942 until the Law of Guidelines and Bases of National Education nº 4024, 1961 was organized with a rudimentary primary education program which continued until the implementation of the new Law of Guidelines and Bases of National Education, the nº 5.692 of 1971. According to data collected in the survey, we concluded that the Geraldino Neves Correa School, at the District of Picadinha, through its curricular organization is now structured according to the determinations of the state of Mato Grosso, based on the prescriptions of the Law of Guidelines and Bases, and it has contributed to the educational process of children in rural areas Old South Mato Grosso.