Education
School Management
March 17, 2023
Building democracy in schools: the formation and action of the student council
DOI: 10.22167/2675-6528-20230014
E&S 2023,4: e202300014
Marcela Maria Patriarca Mineo
The conception of the student as the protagonist has spread through public schools in Brazil in recent decades thanks to the political redemocratization process that resonated in various sectors of society. Democratic management in schools is a result of this process and was formalized through the Federal Constitution of 1988[1] and fostered in the Law of Directives and Bases of Education of 1996[2] and in the National Education Plan (2014-2024)[3].
Until the drafting of the Magna Carta, school administration was carried out in a bureaucratic and authoritarian manner by its leaders, and the new paradigm began to include processes of collective participation with collegiate bodies, with the elaboration of pedagogical proposals, with transparency in the application of financial resources, and with educational and institutional results. Democratic management thus altered the ways of doing, organizing, and relating within public schools, grounded in the principles of plurality, equity, and inclusion, making these spaces a more coherent reflection of reality and giving them a transformative character, always with the ultimate goal of improving student learning.
Article 205 of the Constitution defines that education is a right of all and a duty of the State and the family, it shall be promoted and encouraged with the collaboration of society, aiming at the full development of the person, their preparation for the exercise of citizenship and their qualification for work[1]. Article 206, Item VI, establishes the principles of education in Brazil and among them the democratic management of public education, in the form of law[1].
Law No. 9,394 of 1996, which establishes the Guidelines and Bases of National Education, in its Art. 3, Item VIII, establishes the principles of teaching in Brazil, and among them is the democratic management of public education, in accordance with this Law and the legislation of the education systems[2]. The National Education Plan created by Law No. 13,005 of 2014 and in effect until 2024, has 10 guidelines, among them the promotion of the principle of democratic management of public education[3].
The implementation dimensions of school management are those linked to the production of results and can be defined as: democratic and participatory management; people management; pedagogical management; administrative management; school culture management; and school daily life management[4]. Thus, democratic and participatory management requires articulations and partnerships between the school and the community, through constant dialogues in the elaboration and monitoring of the actions developed at school. This participation of the school community takes place through collegiate bodies such as School Councils, Parent-Teacher Associations, and Student Guilds, ensuring the quality of teaching and the improvement of student learning in a collectively built school culture[5].
The student council is a representative association of students, guaranteed by law, that should be established in the daily school routine as a political experience and exercise of citizenship, learning and socialization, preparing them for democratic life as students lead actions and transformations within schools. Students have the opportunity to discuss, develop and execute various intervention actions within the school and the community in which they are inserted, becoming a space for learning, coexistence, struggle, resistance and citizenship[6]. The mobilization of students within schools improves their engagement through protagonist actions, with the support and collaboration of other school professionals and their guardians, demanding a series of cognitive and socio-emotional skills and attitudes that must be developed for the benefit of the students and the entire school community[7].
This work sought to address the theme of democratic school management through the formation and performance of the student council. The object of study in question is the Student Council of a state school located in the city of Limeira (SP) in 2017. The school in question had been part of the Full-Time Education Program since 2014, in which students from the final years of Elementary School, and the professionals involved, have their school day extended to eight hours daily. The program aims to form young protagonists, that is, individuals with initiative, freedom, and commitment.
Analyzing the School’s Political-Pedagogical Project [PPP], it is stated that the school in question is located on the outskirts of the municipality of Limeira (SP) and is part of the Full-Time Education Program – Middle School Years Modality – serving students from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM. As stated in the PPP in question, students reside in neighborhoods close to the school unit and some in a rural neighborhood, using transportation provided by the Education Directorate. Almost half of the students are assisted by the Bolsa Família Program. The school has eight classrooms with 6th to 9th grade classes, in addition to a Science Laboratory, Multipurpose Room, Reading Room, Computer Laboratory, covered sports court, Principal’s Office, Coordination Office, Secretary’s Office, Teachers’ Room, and cafeteria.
In the year 2017, the Geography Teacher and Coordinator Teacher of Human Sciences was asked to accompany the formation and performance process of the Student Council of the school. Analyzing the Student Council’s Minutes Book, it was detected that the first action in 2017 would be to meet with some student council members elected the previous year to approve the new statute and define the name for the school’s student council, regardless of the annually elected slates. Thus, she delved into some documents such as the “Caderno Grêmio em Forma” and the “Guia Grêmio em Forma” from the Sou da Paz Institute[6][7], which provide guidance to students on student councils in Brazil. It was noted at this stage of formation with the previous year’s council that little was known about the student movement in Brazil, as well as the importance of collegiate bodies for the democratic management of schools.
The students researched some young protagonists in Brazil and worldwide and chose the education activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai to be the patron of the student council of the school unit in question. The students also approved a new statute for the Student Council. This new statute was registered in the Minutes Book and an Electoral Commission Pro-Student Council was constituted. After the formation of the Electoral Commission, the management team met with the students to present the new Student Council Statute and the electoral process calendar. The students were also presented with the slate registration form. The students were guided on the integrity and responsibility of the electoral process and the need to clarify to colleagues who assemble proposals aimed at improving the quality of learning and school environments, based on the premises of the Full-Time Education Program and school coexistence rules.
The members of the Electoral Commission presented themselves in the classrooms to present the Student Council election schedule and the candidate slate registration form. The six registered slates presented themselves for the selection of the three slates with the best proposals and profile of action to compete in the Student Council election. The following day, the school held a general assembly with all students to present the three slates chosen by the Electoral Commission, “Chapa Força Jovem”, “Chapa Voz Ativa”, and “Chapa JF Deu Onda”. The slates presented their members, roles, and proposals and answered some questions from the students.
Next, the election campaign of the approved slates took place, and they created posters around the school with their proposals and slogans. After a few days, the students voted to choose the Student Council. The students were called to vote, class by class, in the Science Lab with the presence of members of the Management Team, using printed ballots and depositing them in the ballot box. After all classes had voted, the general coordinators of the participating slates met with members of the management team to count the votes, with the slate “JF Deu Onda” receiving the most votes from the students and all its members being sworn in.
The elected slate met with the Management Team for training through videos that warned about the importance of student political participation in school management, the process of forming student councils in schools, and examples of good practices by student council members in public schools in the São Paulo network. After the meeting, the elected slate received a “Work Plan” form for them to fill out according to the proposals presented to the students and others that might arise.
On April 12, 2017, the school’s management team met with the student council for the presentation and approval of the “Work Plan” developed by the students for the academic year in question. Thus, the proposals were presented, discussing the feasibility and needs of the school, defining the projects to be carried out, such as: paper and bottle recycling; classroom cleaning; garden project; awareness of APM fundraising; tree planting project in a neighborhood square; awareness about hygiene and cleaning of school bathrooms; formation of the Youth Support Club; sound and games during recess; and inter-class championships. After the definition of the “Work Plan”, the students met constantly during school breaks, using the Science Laboratory as their own space for discussion and review of the proposed actions. The meeting with the management team became monthly, during class periods, so as not to compromise engagement with the courses taken.
In November, the last meeting of the student council with the management team took place in 2017. The students reviewed the actions taken and the group’s development throughout the school year, highlighting their expectations and experiences as student council members. Finally, the students proposed an inter-class futsal championship for women and men. In the meetings with the management team, it was observed that the students developed several socio-emotional skills and competencies throughout the year, such as kindness (empathy, respect, trust); engagement with others (social initiative, assertiveness, and enthusiasm); and self-management (focus, responsibility, organization, determination, and persistence). In schools of the Full-Time Education Program, the fact that students and teachers remain in the same unit for a longer part of the day favors the expansion of dialogue spaces such as: general assemblies, meetings with all class leaders, and student council members.
During the 2017 academic year, it was perceived that the engagement of students and teachers with the school’s demands was very satisfactory, and as students acquired the dimension of the representativeness of student ideas with the real possibilities of the school, actions were modified not only for what they wished to accomplish, but to support the actions that needed and could be carried out by the school.
The school in question has a clientele that is quite economically needy, which makes them quite engaged in the community where they live, as a form of survival. However, this engagement was not perceived as being in favor of the school, as it was still seen as an authoritarian and welfare-oriented space. From the moment the school began to promote spaces for dialogue with the community and students for more active participation, the school became a space with less vandalism and even interpersonal conflicts. Holding some students accountable as group representatives placed them in a position to relativize their stances and promote improvements for others. Furthermore, the community began to feel welcomed and understood the importance of participation and co-responsibility for improving the school environment.
References
[1] Brasil. Constituição da República Federativa do Brasil. 1988. Disponível em: <www.planalto.gov.br>.
[2] Brasil. Lei nº 9.394, de 20 de dezembro de 1996. Estabelece as diretrizes e bases da educação nacional. 1996. Disponível em: <http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/l9394.htm>.
[3] Brasil. Plano Nacional da Educação [PNE]. Plano Nacional de Educação 2014-2024: Linha de Base. 2015. Disponível em: <http://presrepublica.jusbrasil.com.br>.
[4] Lück H. Dimensões da gestão escolar e suas competências. Curitiba (PR): Editora Positivo. 2009.
[5] Libâneo J.C. Práticas de organização e gestão da escola: objetivos e formas de funcionamento a serviço da aprendizagem de professores e alunos. 2015. Disponível em: <http://www.cascavel.pr.gov.br/arquivos/11022015_jose_carlos_libaneo_i.pdf>.
[6] Instituto Sou da Paz. Caderno Grêmio em Forma. 2019. Disponível em: <https://soudapaz.org/o-que-fazemos/desenvolver/prevencao-da-violencia/violencia-nas-escolas/gremio-em-forma/?show=documentos>.
[7] Instituto Sou da Paz. Guia Grêmio em Forma. 2019. Disponível em: <https://soudapaz.org/o-que-fazemos/desenvolver/prevencao-da-violencia/violencia-nas-escolas/gremio-em-forma/?show=documentos>.
Como citar
Mineo M.M.P. Construindo a democracia nas escolas: a formação e atuação do grêmio estudantil. Revista E&S. 2023; 4: e20230014.
Sobre os autores
Marcela Maria Patriarca Mineo, Professora de Educação Básica, Doutora em Geografia Humana, Leme, SP, Brasil.
Link para download: https://cms.revistaes.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/ES_23014.pdf