Paraná leads civic-military education in Brazil with more than 200 schools

the state of Paraná has the largest number of civic-military schools among Brazilian states, with 206 teaching units operating under this model. Soon after, the state of Goiaswith 124 schools, and the bahiawith 121. The positive result of the 194 civic-military schools in the state program and the 12 in the federal program made the government of Paraná decide to consolidate the civic-military education model, projecting expansion from the beginning of 2024.

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In an interview with People’s Gazette, the Secretary of Education of Paraná, Roni Miranda, ponders that a set of factors made the state lead the number of schools in the civic-military model. “First, it was a demand from the governor. We have more than 2 thousand schools. There was no point in creating 10 schools, because it would fall into this narrative ‘ah, it’s an elite group that studies in these schools’”, he says.

“Then, the governor asked to create several schools throughout the state, in small, medium and large cities. We want parents to choose. And it came a lot from parents and some students who wanted this model”, added the secretary.

In April of this year, Paraná governor Carlos Roberto Massa Junior (PSD) had already stated that he intended to double the number of civic-military schools in Paraná. At the time, the State Executive explained that the objective was to move from the current 206 schools in the civic-military model to 400 units, in total, at a cost of around R$ 30 million per year. Roni Miranda confirmed that it is a priority to increase civic-military schools, where there is demand, as the model has shown positive results.

“It is our priority to expand the civic-military area. It is results management. As well as the full-time policy. We do not want ideological management, but results management. Full-time also pays off. The goal is always to improve.”

Roni Miranda, Secretary of Education of Paraná

In this week, the government of Paraná opened selection for reserve military police enroll in civic-military colleges. Miranda stated that, as soon as the professionals are selected, consultation will be opened to the community. The forecast is that the consultations will be done at the end of this year. So, in early 2024, planning to expand the model will begin.

The project was one of the flagships in the area of ​​Education during the administration of former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL). Miranda considered the Lula government’s decision to close down the National Program for Civic-Military Schools to be unfortunate. “As the governor said, we think it was not a happy decision. It is not a government project, but they could keep the ones they had, ”he said.

“In many places, it was a parental wish. But each state will have autonomy and in Paraná we work with results and not with ideology. In Paraná we have indicators to say that we have results”, stressed the secretary.

Paraná invested in a state program of civic-military education

Like Goiás and Bahia, Paraná invested in a state program of civic-military education. In parallel to the national action, the government sought to implement a law to institute the model. The project was presented in 2019 and approved in 2020. According to the state secretary of Education, the program was already on the governor’s list of priorities for the area.

State and national programs are similar. The state project counts on the collaboration of the military of the Corps of State Military Inactive Volunteers (CMEIV) of Paraná. The direction of the school continues with the pedagogical teacher. The military act as monitors, assisting with the entry and exit of students, breaks and queuing.

Although the operation is similar, in the national program the professionals are from the Armed Forces and the direction has the participation of a military and pedagogical director. “It created a stigma, especially on the part of those who don’t know the program, because they think it’s the military who enters the room and teaches. This has nothing to do. The one who continues to teach is the teacher”, highlighted the Secretary of Education of Paraná.

The school curriculum is the same as for full-time and regular education. But in the civic-military college there are six daily classes and students participate in a best student recognition program, which is awarded by the Council of Teachers. Students, at the beginning of the year, receive credits that can be lost or added, depending on their attitudes.

For example, if the teenager helped a classmate, he can earn bonuses. But if he threw garbage on the floor and fought with a student, that student loses points. The template also has an action with classroom representatives. “This generates a sense of responsibility, leadership and co-responsibility for your colleague”, highlighted Miranda.

Paraná’s secretary of education denied notes that the model is “militarized”. “Sometimes there are these myths and legends questions, ‘the military will enter the room and command’. There is no such thing. The curriculum is the same. There is no curriculum difference. As it is said by the federal government, which are privileged, they are not. A student at a civic-military school in Paraná does not take the test. The license plate is referenced by georeferencing,” he explained.

Civic-military model registers good indexes

Most of the civic-military schools recorded good education rates, in addition to the improvement of students in the classroom. Comparing data from 2019 with 2021 from the Basic Education Development Index (Ideb), of the 12 schools in the national program in Paraná, half of the schools improved their grades. The Ideb is calculated from data on school approval, obtained from the School Census, and from performance averages in the Basic Education Assessment System (Saeb). The index ranges from 0 to 10.

The State Department of Education of the State of Paraná (Seed-PR) also pointed out the improvements that have already been seen with the state program, along with the national one. The coordinator of the civic-military school program in Paraná, Soraia Azevedo, pointed out that there was a reduction in school dropouts. The frequency of students is higher in the model. According to the coordinator, in a regular school, student attendance is 88%. In the civic-military, it reaches 93%.

“Among the improvements are the reduction of school dropouts, student participation in the correct grades, class attendance, improvement in grades and Ideb grades. Decrease in disciplinary problems, fights and disrespect for the teacher and degradation of the school. Almost 100% of civic-military schools no longer have these situations”, he stressed.

Compared to the performance of regular and full-time schools, the 206 civic-military schools had a greater advance in Ideb grades, between 2019 and 2021. Seed-PR reported that of the 1,647 regular schools, 49.8% recorded progress in at least one of the three teaching stages evaluated by Ideb.

Of the 251 full-time schools, the number increased to 62.9%. However, the civic-military performance stood out, with an increase of 84%. Since the implementation of the model was carried out, as a priority, in teaching units that, in 2019, were in a context of social vulnerability.

“In Paraná, we made progress, there were schools in vulnerable situations, regions with low school performance and violence rates, and we saw the transformation of the school”, said the secretary of education. “The result has been so positive that we have a lot of requests from the school community and from mayors who want to be part of the program”, said coordinator Soraia Azevedo.

Parents and school community join the program

For schools that have become civic-military, there is a consultation with teachers, students over 15 years old and with those responsible for the students. That way, if the majority votes in favor of the change, the college adheres to the model. If not, the same form of teaching remains.

“This is a democratic state. When we give the option to society. In Paraná, the father can enroll in regular, civic-military, full-time and vocational schools. We offer several formats of education and the family will choose the appropriate model. It is a State that respects and gives conditions to offer”, said Miranda.

Paraná’s secretary of education said that his son studies at a state civic-military school. “Here in Paraná, we respect the wishes of parents (…) and that’s what parents want. My son studies in a civic-military public school, because I believe in the project”.

Mother Magnolia do Prado Proença also decided to send her daughter to a civic-military school this year. The 14-year-old student studied at a regular high school. Because it was close to home, her mother made the move. The main difference she sees is the organization.

“This one is more organized, the students enter and the military greet them. Every day they have the national anthem. I thought it was really good. They are always at the entrance and exit. They [militares] know students by name. I saw an improvement in organization and respect,” she said. “There is the uniform and there are some rules, students can lose or gain points. I think it’s important because then there’s no vandalism and mess. That’s where the responsibility starts”, added Magnolia.

Due to the participation of parents, there are queues to enroll students, according to Seed-PR. “There are several reports that the community cites that there is a significant improvement in the surroundings, we don’t have schools being graffitied. It was a significant result. We have a long waiting list to be a civic-military student, in practically all schools”, pointed out the coordinator of the civic-military school program in Paraná, Soraia Azevedo.

Migration from national to state program should start in 2024

Paraná’s secretary of education told Gazeta do Povo that the migration of the 12 schools to the state program should take place between the end of this year and the beginning of 2024 so as not to interrupt the school year. According to him, talks are being held with the Ministry of Education to make the best transition possible.

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