Escola Técnica de Comércio José Bonifácio: primeira escola pública profissionalizante do município de Canguçu-RS – décadas de 1960 a 1970

Abstract

This research, inserted in the field of History of Education, analyzes the process of creating the José Bonifácio Technical School of Commerce in the municipality of Canguçu/RS, focused on vocational education. Its main objective is to understand the relationship/interest of local powers, with emphasis on the Executive power and Freemasonry, in the constitution of the school, as well as its importance for municipal education. The time frame refers to the period in which the school began its activities, until the change from municipal to state administration. The study is anchored in the theoretical assumptions of Cultural History, using the contributions of Pesavento (2006) and Barros (2011), as it encompasses several possibilities for analyzing sources. The investigation mobilized the methodology of documentary and historical analysis, considering laws, minute books, photographs and other documents accessed in the collections of the current ETEC and Loja Maçônica José Bonifácio nº.55, intertwined with information obtained through semi-structured interviews, carried out with people who experienced the period. Finally, it is possible to understand that the founding of this school was the result of an economic and educational need in the municipality, associated with new national political and educational demands, motivated by groups of influential people who fulfilled a desire originating from the Canguçuense community.