Gestão democrática na perspectiva dos planos municipais de educação no Baixo Tocantins-Pará

Abstract

This dissertation investigates democratic management in the Municipal Education Plans (PMEs) of the Baixo Tocantins region in the state of Pará, Brazil, considering it a fundamental principle for the implementation of a public, participatory, and socially grounded education. It assumes that democratic management constitutes a vital link between education and democracy, essential for strengthening citizenship and ensuring social inclusion. The study seeks to understand how the municipalities of Baião, Cametá, and Mocajuba incorporate the principles of autonomy, participation, and decentralization in their PMEs. It also examines the challenges and opportunities for the effective realization of democratic management within the Amazonian context. The research adopts a qualitative approach, based on a bibliographic review and documentary analysis of the Municipal Education Plans, using as a reference the National Education Plan (2014–2024), particularly Goal 19, which addresses the expansion of mechanisms for democratic management. The analysis shows that the PMEs reaffirm democratic management as a guiding directive, but with different levels of implementation: Baião places greater emphasis on community participation; Cametá combines social experiences with institutional normativity; and Mocajuba adopts a more technical-managerial model with less social protagonism. Among the main challenges are the fragility of municipal and school councils, scarcity of resources, insufficient training of education managers, and the need to strengthen collective planning practices. The research concludes that democratic management must be understood as a principle, a process, and a practice: a principle that guides public education; a process supported by regulation and planning; and a practice that depends on political will and social engagement. It reinforces that its consolidation is an ethical and political imperative to ensure high-quality, inclusive, and socially referenced public education, especially in the Tocantine Amazon context.