ABSTRACT
Educational inequalities are a serious problem of Brazilian society and are related to the socio-economic structure of the country, poverty being its most apparent expression. By its nature, the State’s instruments of planning and management present proposals to the administration of the country, those aimed at addressing social and educational inequalities and poverty among them. In this article, the authors problematize how these topics are presented in the National Plan of Education (Planos Nacionais de Educação - PNE) - 2001-2010 and 2014-2024 and which propositions are considered as possible solutions. In a comparative analysis, the authors seek to trace the relationship between the proposals contained in the PNE and those in the three Federal Pluriannual Plans (Planos Plurianuais - PPAs) from the period of 2004 to 2015. The PNE is the instrument that sets the guidelines for management and funding of education. The PPA, in turn, aims to organize and facilitate public action through guidelines, objectives and goals that should guide the preparation of the Annual Budget Law (Leis Orçamentárias Anuais - LOA). Research shows that, in the periods mentioned, the PNE and the PPA were characterized by formally presenting proposals for the expansion of the social policies to fight poverty and reduce social and educational inequalities, based on various social programs, especially Brazil’s anti-poverty, cash-transfer Bolsa Família program. The themes, concepts and actions found in the analyzed management tools are problematized in light of critical social theory.
Keywords:
Educational inequalities; Poverty; National Plan of Education; Federal Pluriannual Plans.