O "ensino religioso" em um CEMEI no município de Santarém – PA: um estudo etnográfico.

Abstract

This ethnographic study, conducted at a Municipal Early Childhood Education Center in the city of Santarém, Pará, used participant observation and document analysis to investigate the religious content, actions, and discourses that occur in daily school life and are not covered by national education guidelines. As a result, this ethnographic study identified the presence of Christianity in the daily practices of preschool and kindergarten teachers, albeit in distinct ways. Furthermore, we observed the presence of a type of "clandestine religious teaching" in CEMEI documents, even though their overall objective is to promote an education aligned with the official standards of the LDB, ECA, and BNCC. Among what we identified as the teachers' proselytizing religious practices, we observed the presence of prayers, discourse associating obedience with divine rewards, the use of Christian songs for playtime, and religious presentations, such as those at Easter and Christmas. Based on the norms governing education and authors such as Bourdieu, Passeron, Nogueira, Rizzo, Scolaro, Silva, Branco, and Corsino, we understand that such practices are proselytizing and not only present a limited view of faith but also produce symbolic violence in the educational environment, resulting in the reproduction of such practices by children themselves. We conclude that ongoing training for professionals and the review and reworking of CEMEI's curricular documents are urgently needed, ensuring respect for the secular nature of public education.