Educação do campo e o fechamento da unidade escolar Zeferino Marques da comunidade Lagoa do Moisés (território quilombola Lagoas)

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study examines the closure of the Zeferino Marques School, located in the Moisés community, part of the Quilombola territory of Lagoas in the municipality of São Raimundo Nonato, Piauí. The closure occurred without prior notice, much less free, prior, and informed consent from the community and the students’ mothers. The research objectives include analyzing the role of rural education and the problems resulting from the failure to implement this educational model. It also identifies the damages caused by the school's closure and the community's resistance efforts, in addition to discussing the learning conditions of students in the new schools to which they were transferred. The methodology used was qualitative analysis, based on a literature review and interviews with the students’ mothers from the community. The results highlight the importance of rural education for the teaching and valuation of rural communities, as well as the significance that the Zeferino Marques School held for the community and the Quilombola territory. The interviews revealed that the students’ mothers emphasize the problems caused by the school's closure, especially the precariousness of the school transportation provided by the municipality for students to attend distant schools. The analysis indicates that the school's closure did not represent progress or improvements, but rather resulted in several hardships for the Moisés community.