Programa pé-de-meia: o caminho para a igualdade social?

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze educational policy as an instrument for valuing workforce qualification within the logic of capital, with a focus on the Pé-de-Meia Program. It was a bibliographic and documentary research based on books, scientific articles, and official documents. The theoretical framework was grounded in Human Capital Theory, particularly drawing on the contributions of Theodore Schultz (1973), as well as on authors critical of this perspective. Documents published by the World Bank were analyzed, considering its influence on the formulation of educational policies in peripheral countries and, specifically, in Brazil, in the context of the rise of neoliberalism. The analysis addressed Brazilian educational policy and youth qualification programs, with emphasis on the Pé-de-Meia Program, implemented during Lula’s third administration. It was concluded that, although the program is presented as a strategy to address school dropout and social inequality, its design is aligned with the World Bank’s guidelines on investment in Human Capital and does not promote a significant reduction in social inequality nor effectively contribute to decreasing school dropout rates.