Diversidade religiosa e educação escolar: uma análise dos projetos políticos pedagógicos das escolas públicas de Parnaíba-PI

Abstract

This undergraduate thesis presents an investigation into how religious diversity is addressed in the Political-Pedagogical Projects (PPPs) of five public schools in the municipality of Parnaíba, Piauí, Brazil. The main objective of the research is to analyze how religious diversity is contemplated in the institutional political-pedagogical projects of each of the schools that participated in the research, in light of legal guidelines and the principles of a secular state. The theoretical framework is grounded in authors who explore the intersection of religion, education, and public policy. A qualitative methodology was adopted, focusing on document and discourse analysis, allowing for a critical interpretation of the PPPs in order to understand the intentions, omissions, and underlying narratives. To contextualize the study, a section is dedicated to the historical, political, and legal background of religion in Brazil, particularly within educational settings. The data extracted from the documents were organized into four main categories: “Guiding Principles,” “Goals,” “General Objectives,” and “Religiosity in the Political-Pedagogical Projects,” the latter encompassing references to religiosity not covered by the previous categories. The analysis revealed that schools which address religious diversity only implicitly tend to treat the subject superficially. In contrast, those that deal with the issue explicitly show a greater commitment to fostering a pluralistic and inclusive school environment. The study concludes that the way PPPs approach religious diversity reflects both the school administrators’ understanding of the topic and the broader challenges involved in implementing an education that respects diverse belief systems within a secular public school context.