ANÍSIO TEIXEIRA AND THE STRUGGLE FOR THE DEMOCRATIZATION OF BRAZILIAN EDUCATION: EDUCATION IS A RIGHT, NOT A PRIVILEGE

Abstract

This study discusses the importance of the Bahian intellectual and educator Anísio Spínola Teixeira (1900-1971) to the struggle for democracy in Brazilian education. It is a theoretical study with a qualitative approach, developed through a bibliographic review of the author's own works, such as Educação para a democracia, Educação não é privilégio and Educação é um direito, as well as studies by his interpreters and historians of education. The general objective is to analyze how Anísio Teixeira formulated and defended the conception of education as a right of all and a duty of the State, in opposition to the elitist tradition that historically treated schooling as a privilege of the few. The specific objectives are to identify the philosophical bases of his thought, especially the influence of John Dewey's pragmatism, to describe his main actions in public administration and to discuss the relevance of his ideas today. The results indicate that Anísio Teixeira inseparably linked a public, secular, free and high-quality school to a democratic regime, understanding common education as a condition for the formation of citizens and for the reduction of social inequalities. His experiences, such as the Carneiro Ribeiro Educational Center, his participation in the Manifesto of the Pioneers of New Education, at INEP and in the creation of universities, materialized this project. It is concluded that his legacy remains fundamental to understanding the right to education enshrined in the 1988 Federal Constitution and to the contemporary challenges of a truly democratic school.