O fechamento das escolas de campo: um olhar a partir da história de Foz do Iguaçu

Abstract

The Brazilian Federal Constitution and the Law of Guidelines and Bases of Education determine that education is a right for all, therefore, depriving children living in rural areas of the right to study is a crime. The concept of rural education and the closure of schools are the subject of a documentary analysis of decrees and ordinances provided by the Municipal Government of Foz do Iguaçu. It sought to describe the closure of 15 schools in the municipality, using as an example the Brigadeiro Antônio Sampaio Rural Municipal School, which still resists in the fight against closure to prevent the end of rural education in the municipality. The objective of the study was to present an analysis of the closure of rural schools, from the concept, academic production on the topic, school closures in Foz do Iguaçu to the illustration of the only rural school that remains in the municipality of Foz do Iguaçu and is fighting to survive. To operationalize the research, a methodology with a qualitative approach characterized by descriptive nature objectives was used, analyzing documents provided by the Municipal Education Department of Foz do Iguaçu and conducting an integrative review of digital publications that allow understanding the context of rural school closures in Brazil. The case of Foz do Iguaçu has historical and geographical peculiarities that have contributed to the closure of at least 15 schools, caused by the advancement of urbanization after the construction of Itaipu, the reduction of the municipality's territory due to the flooding caused by the hydroelectric plant, and the division of the Municipality of Santa Terezinha de Itaipu. The municipality has small rural areas located to the south on the border with the Iguaçu National Park and to the north in the region near the lake where the Brigadeiro Antônio Sampaio Rural Municipal School is located. It is concluded that this is a peculiarity that needs to be considered to prevent the last rural school from being extinguished in the municipality of Foz do Iguaçu.