TheRighttoPublicEducation

Today, the territory of Maré has more than 50 public schools. The territory is a pioneer among favelas that offer pre-college entrance exam courses — not only aimed at Maré residents, but also run by those very residents who have gone through university classrooms. These are decades of struggle for Education, and residents and outside agents play a fundamental role in achieving this basic right.

When it was founded, between the 1950s and 1960s, the Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes Church — at the time considered part of Bonsucesso — offered a secondary school course (now Fundamental II) to residents. This was a means, found by the church, of providing what is the responsibility of public authorities, but which goes unfulfilled in some areas.

Image description: The image shows a photograph of a religious building, likely a church, with a statue prominently featured in the foreground. On the left, there is a blue architectural entrance with a sign reading "ALFREDO DE SOUZA NAVES." On the right, there is a white cross on the facade. In the upper left, there is a window with blue stained glass. On the right, there is a large statue of a man holding a baby, both dressed in traditional clothing. In front of the statue, there is a small black lantern. On the left, there is a green plant. The ground is made of stone and the sky is cloudy.

It was only in the 1960s that some favelas in Maré were able to have public schools. The first one was Escola Nova Holanda, opened in 1962 in what was then the local Provisional Housing Center - built to shelter people removed from other favelas in Rio. In addition to taking advantage of the public education offered, residents were able to use the school space for socializing - with parties and mobilization meetings.

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of a group of people gathered in front of a simple building. On the left side, there are individuals standing, some talking among themselves. On the right, a row of people is seated on benches, apparently watching the activity. In the center, there is a table with boxes and objects on it. The building in the background has a plain façade with windows and a metal roof.

In any case, even though some schools were built in and around Maré, a series of difficulties prevented access to or full enjoyment of this right by the first generations of children in Maré between the 1950s and 70s. Ivan Calado, currently living in Timbau, recalls his school years, when he lived in Rubem Vaz:

Era difícil. O poder público, naquela época, era muito difícil. Você certo, tu tava errado. Por exemplo, na minha época era camisa branca e uma bermuda curtinha, e meu pai trabalhava de construção civil, com quatro filhos, viúvo, era difícil manter as crianças no colégio. Então, quando ia todo mundo para o colégio, às vezes a gente revezava a camisa, um pegava a camisa do outro sem saber. Os pequenininhos que se davam bem, mas mesmo assim eram poucas vezes. Mas como pegava a camisa de manhã cedo, tinha que lavar a tarde pra sair com ela. Chegava a tarde, tinha que lavar pra sair cedo com ela. E teve época, também, que se a camisa estivesse muito suja, você não entrava no colégio.

In the 1980s, at the end of the military dictatorship, Maré had a strong community movement. This mobilization, combined with changes in the State's stance toward the favelas, led to greater investment in education in the territory, mainly through the implementation of the CIEPs — Integrated Centers for Public Education —, a policy conceived by the then vice-governor of Rio de Janeiro, educator Darcy Ribeiro.

Image description: This is a photograph of a school building. On the left side, we see a structure with several windows, while the center features a domed structure with arches. On the right, there is an area covered by a metal structure. The ground in the foreground is bare earth, with scattered pieces of stone. In the background, there is a chain-link fence and a blue sky with scattered clouds.

The CIEPs in Maré were named after figures important to culture, politics, and the fight for rights. Vicente Mariano, a leader of the Federação de Favelas do Estado da Guanabara who stood up to the dictatorship and died of a heart attack in 1971, is honored by the CIEP in Bonsucesso; Samora Machel, one of the leaders of Independence and first president of a free Mozambique, lends his name to the CIEP on Rua Evanildo Alves, in Nova Holanda; and Minister of Education Gustavo Capanema (1934-45) is honored by the CIEP in Vila do João, Minister of Education during the Vargas Era.

Journalist Hélio Euclides, a resident of Parque Maré, recalls what the construction of CIEP Gustavo Capanema, in Pinheiros, meant to him:

I would watch it every day from my house. I'd stand there looking at the construction. You'd see those pillars being fitted together. The Ciep, the Brizolão, is built like an assembly, like a jigsaw puzzle, so the pieces kept fitting together there, and I watched the Brizolão emerge, you know. And I had no idea what shape it would take, I had no clue at all, so I'd see there what was being built, day by day. And for me it was amazing, I was in awe of it. So for me it was beautiful to see that Ciep, which today is somewhat abandoned. The city is trying to finish a project that's been dragging on, but for me it holds a great memory. My sister taught there, later on. So that Ciep has a whole emotional value to it, and today Redes has its headquarters there, inside it.

In 2016, Mayor Eduardo Paes's administration opened several units in the area linked to a new project — the Escolas do Amanhã (Schools of Tomorrow).

However, despite the wide range of educational institutions in the territory of Maré, police operations frequently interrupt classes, hindering the full exercise of this right.

Image description: This is a photograph of a location with bleachers and a large open area. On the left, there is a series of blue and white colored arches, behind which stands a crowd of people. On the right, there are also similar arches, but with fewer people. In the center, there is a concrete structure with arches, where more people are scattered about. In the background, there are red brick buildings and residential buildings. The central area is a grassy space, with a few people walking around.