The The Influence of Neoliberal Policies on Early Childhood Education in Brazil in the 1990s .

Abstract

This bibliographic work sought to present reflections on the neoliberal influences on public policies for early childhood education developed in the 1990s in Brazil. The promulgation of the Constitution ensured the legal right to education, although in practice it does not equitably reach the entire Brazilian population. With educational focus on literacy developed in primary and secondary education, early childhood education received secondary attention from the State. As evidenced in extensive literature on the subject, in the last decade of the 20th century, early childhood education in Brazil was shaped by neoliberal policies and influenced by international organizations such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Therefore, it is perceived that early childhood education, and Brazilian education as a whole, was influenced in its origins to meet the needs of capital, adapting developing countries, especially Brazil, to the demands of international organizations representing the global economic interests of dominant countries. We critique an educational model geared towards capital, as we believe that for education to be truly humanizing, it is essential that it promotes the full and integral development of the human being, valuing the child in all its dimensions and respecting their individuality and unique potential, without reducing them to a mere means for the attainment of social or economic capital.