Entre transformações e permanências: a História da Educação Profissional Técnica de Nível Médio do Instituto Federal de Educação do Maranhão – IFMA (2008-2017)

Abstract

This research is part of the research line History, Memory, and Society, within the Graduate Program in Education (PPGEdu) at the Federal University of Grande Dourados (UFGD). It focuses on the history of technical and vocational secondary education, with the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Maranhão (IFMA) as its locus. The title of the study is Between Transformations and Continuities: The History of Technical and Vocational Secondary Education at the Federal Institute of Education of Maranhão – IFMA (2008–2017). The timeframe begins in 2008, the year of the enactment of Law No. 11.892/2008, on December 29, which established the Federal Institutes of Education, Science and Technology in Brazil, and concludes in 2017, with Law No. 13.415/2017, enacted on February 16, which introduced changes to the structure of upper secondary education and remains under discussion. The central research problem is to understand the political, economic, and historical factors that influenced the creation of the Federal Institutes in Brazil, and specifically in Maranhão. The secondary research questions are: What criteria guided the selection of municipalities for the implementation of IFMA campuses? What are the determining parameters for the selection and implementation of technical secondary courses at IFMA, considering local and regional demands? The main objective is to analyze the historical, political, and economic conditions that contributed to the implementation of the institution during the period from 2009 to 2017, specifically focusing on technical and vocational secondary education, based on literature, statistical data, and newspapers. The specific objectives are as follows: (1) To analyze the historical context of the expansion and reformulation of Technical and Vocational Education at the secondary level within IFMA; (2) To describe the processes involved in the creation of IFMA, based on the analysis of campuses established at different phases, including those originating from the integration of two pre-existing technical schools in the state: São Luís-Monte Castelo Campus, Codó Campus, and Caxias Campus; (3) To reconstruct the history of technical and vocational secondary education at IFMA; and (4) To analyze which social groups IFMA aimed to serve and which it actually served between 2009 and 2017, in order to understand the effectiveness of the educational public policies implemented by the institution. To support the analysis of educational institutions, the study draws on the works of Justino Magalhães, Paolo Nosella, Ester Buffa, Décio Gatti Júnior, Giseli Cristina do Vale Gatti, Denise Bárbara Catani, and Luciano Mendes de Faria Filho, among others. The theoretical framework supporting the concept of Technical and Vocational Education is based on the contributions of Acácia Zeneida Kuenzer, Marise Nogueira Ramos, Gaudêncio Frigotto, and Selma de Fátima Vanderley. Of a historical nature, the methodological procedures included bibliographical and documentary research. Based on the data already gathered, the thesis argues that IFMA responded to the hegemonic projects of capital that required the expansion of Technical and Vocational Education in Brazil to meet the demand for a more technologically qualified workforce. Within this context, IFMA assumed responsibility for providing the qualification demanded by capital; however, amid these contradictions, the institution also addressed urgent needs of the working population in the state. IFMA is a significant institution in the field of Technical and Vocational Education, with a considerable historical presence in the state of Maranhão. A portion of Maranhão’s society recognizes important aspects of its own history as being intertwined with the institution, which has contributed to the education of citizens both from Maranhão and other states. Thus, IFMA is aligned with the national education policy framework, especially concerning technical and vocational training. This study aims to contribute to the development of Maranhão’s educational historiography, particularly in the field of the History of Educational Institutions in the state. In this sense, the research highlighted IFMA's strategic role in consolidating Technical and Vocational Education in Maranhão, emphasizing its historical, social, and political significance. It therefore points toward contributing to the construction of Maranhão’s educational historiography by shedding light on the processes, subjects, and contexts that shaped this institutional trajectory over time.