Engajamento coletivo na Primavera Secundarista: a ocupação da Escola Estadual José Lins do Rego

Abstract

This research aimed to understand the occupy movement executed by young students on selected schools in the state of Sao Paulo, November 2015. The occupy movement aimed to express opposition to a project, created by the Education Department of Sao Paulo, Brazil, called “Medida de Reorganizacao da Rede Estadual de Ensino”. This project had the goal of reforming the educational structure of schools in the state. The empirical field of this analysis is the occupation of José Lins do Rego High School, a secondary school run by the state of Sao Paulo and the one of the many school to question the changes that the state wanted to implement. The goal of students occupying José Lins do Rego was to express their thoughts about the reform and to receive confirmation from the state that the reformed educational structure of schools would be free, democratic, with a good educational curriculum and that the community, students and parents were able to join and vote on decisions - administrative, pedagogical, financial - that the Educational Department were taking, to make sure that this new model of school would be suitable for all the students. For this research a semi-structured interview, with students and teachers who participated in the occupation, and analysis of photographic records of the event were utilised. During the research we could notice that the occupation, different to what the government and citizens of Sao Paulo believed, was not just a riot. The students joined the occupation as an act to show that they were unhappy with what the government was trying to implement; they wanted to have their voice heard and be an active part in the decisions that would be taken. The photographs analysed during this research shows that the police used violence to intimidate the students and teachers during the occupation and it was clear that there was no interest in conversation or fairness. Even though the police‟s treatment of the students, teachers and other employees of José Lins do Rego High School was violent and unnecessary, the group kept resistant and showed that authoritarianism is not always triumphant. The resistance and persistence of the students to reach their goal despite the negative response from the government was successful. In the end it was understood by the government that what the students were looking for was that if there was a new model of education being created it should fulfil everybody‟s need and not just an oppressive new curriculum that the students and staff would need to get used to. When the group worked together towards their idea they created a new educational praxis – José Lins do Rego High School is now recognised as an educational space open to all the students, teachers and staff to express their needs. The occupation of José Lins do Rego High School was an important occasion for all the people that believe in transformation and change by teamwork.