In this paper, we examined issues concerning the construction of knowledge in the school environment. To this end, we addressed different forms of knowledge and conflicts between science and society. Some recurring epistemological contributions in sciences education were mobilized to analyze emerging tensions at universities as a result of the pressure for increasing the number of vacancies in higher education, which culminated in the 'REUNI' Project. We place this project in a more general context -that of popularization of higher education. We digress on the meaning of modern project of society, benefiting from scientific knowledge sociology, pointing out elements for the understanding of this project's crisis. We address institutional, epistemological and teaching practice tensions. More specifically, we made use of our experience in training educators that work with people living in rural areas, in the context of the Sciences of Life and Nature at the Federal University of Minas Gerais.
Science; Science Education; Training of Rural Educators