Brazil: Pre-ENEPe Mobilizes Students in Defense of Public Education
Featured image: Students participate in the Pre-ENEPe event at the UFPB Education Center. Source: ExNEPe
Students from the Academic Directory of Pedagogy (DAPed) and the National Executive Committee of Education Students (ExNEPe), organized an event with a panel discussion on July 7th at the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB) as part of the preparations for the 43rd National Meeting of Pedagogy Students (ENEPe), bringing together 30 students, AND writes. We previously shared the invitation.
The event and mobilization for it gathered support from both students and faculty – one professor even excusing a class so the students could attend the meeting.
The panel discussion addressed the theme of the 43rd ENEPe taking place on July 20-24th : Yankee imperialist aggression in Latin America and the World Bank’s intervention in Brazilian education: The role of pedagogy, teacher-training programs, students, and teachers in the struggle to defend public, free, and scientific education.
The panel included a representative from ExNEPe, professors Leonardo Rolim and Esdras Bezerra, a member of DAPed who moderated the discussions, and a representative from the Aurora Democrática Collective.
The ExNEPe representative opened the panel by detailing the organization’s split from the National Student Union in 2004, emphasizing its principles of independence, class consciousness, and militancy. Historical struggles of education students were highlighted, including battles against the 2006 National Curriculum Guidelines and recent resolutions.
Professors Leonardo Rolim and Esdras Bezerra discussed Resolution CNE/CP No. 4/2024, the World Bank’s role as an instrument of imperialism impacting Brazil throughout various political regimes, and highlighted latifundium as one of the pillars of imperialist domination. The panel concluded with a call to action for students to mobilize in defense of public education and to engage with ExNEPe – the students answered to the speeches chanting slogans such as “I am an educator! I am a scientist! And I will not accept the path of inaction!” and “ExNEPe is for the struggle! Inaction won’t hold us back!” and after the panel a group photo with a banner, flags, and posters was taken. AND support Committee was also present in the event and ran a booth.
