Nas tramas da modernização escolar: a singularidade histórica do Grupo Escolar Senador Camilo Chaves (1955–1966)

Abstract

This study problematizes the coming of Grupo Escolar Senador Camilo Chaves as subject matter. Its starting point is the following questions: what were the historical circumstances of Ituiutaba when this primary public school emerged? Which public and private sector agents were involved in its creation? What educational demands did it meet, and which ones would come? How were its facilities, enrollment, and the activities of the first school year processed? What impacts did it have on urban literacy? What relationships did it establish with society? The general research aim was to strengthen the corpus of studies on the history of education in Ituiutaba, specifically regarding grupos escolares. The specific aims were: to historically reconstruct the genesis and initial operation of the school, considering its antecedents and consequences; to identify municipal and state-level agents and actions regarding the creation and setting-up of the school; to characterize the setting-up process with a focus on material conditions (location and occupation) and human resources (teaching and leadership); to recognize the school sources of funding; and to map urban enrollment numbers and the contribution as to expanding the offer of vacancies. Developed within the Graduate Program in Education at the Federal University of Uberlândia — under the research line “history and historiography of education” —, the study is of a documentary-empirical nature, within the limits of the history of educational institutions and from a descriptive-analytical problematizing perspective. This framework derived from Nosella’s and Buffa’s (2013) guidelines for school institutions studies. Historical evidence included written documentation (school records, official writings, newspaper texts), images, and an interview. The research covers the timeframe 1955–65, which encompasses the year of the school genesis and the year of transition to its own building, as well as the moment the interviewee entered the school (1964–5). Results show that the creation of the group was discussed with Juscelino Kubitschek in 1951, but only occurred in 1955, in the midst of his campaign for the Presidency of the Republic; hence, its creation can be seen as a political-electoral gesture. This understanding is reinforced by the fact that the state turned a blind eye to the funding demands of the newly created school, which forced its staff to act alongside the private sector to try and raise funds. On the other hand, while maintenance resources were lacking, the city’s population was increasing due to the onset of the rural exodus. By the time the school graduated its first class, the number of city residents was equivalent to the number of rural ones. Throughout the 1960s, this process would intensify at a pace that could hardly be matched by the provision of new school vacancies.