EDUCATION, NEOLIBERALISM AND NEOCONSERVATISM: THE DESIRABLE TEACHER FOR THE ESCOLA SEM PARTIDO PROJECT

Abstract

This study addresses the Escola sem Partido (School Without Party, ESP) project and its implications for teacher education and teaching work in Brazil. It is a qualitative narrative literature review combined with documentary analysis. The objective is to analyze what academic production states about the ESP and about the teacher model it presupposes, placing it within the context of neoliberal policies and the rise of neoconservatism in Brazilian education. The methodology involved a survey of articles, dissertations and book chapters in academic databases, complemented by the reading of bills, decisions of the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court and educational regulations published between 2014 and 2026. The results indicate that the ESP cannot be explained by neoliberal rationality alone, but by the alliance between neoliberalism and moral and religious neoconservatism, which conceives the teacher as a neutral executor of content, under family surveillance and without pedagogical autonomy. It was also found that, although laws inspired by the movement have been declared unconstitutional, the agenda is still under consideration in the National Congress and produces effects on everyday school life, such as self-censorship and the silencing of teachers. It is concluded that defending the freedom to teach, the pluralism of ideas and the appreciation of teacher education is a condition for democratic education, and that the topic requires empirical research with teachers.