NEOLIBERALISM AND EDUCATIONAL POLICIES IN THE FHC GOVERNMENT: STATE RECONFIGURATION AND IMPACTS ON PUBLIC EDUCATION

Abstract

This article analyzes the impacts of the neoliberal agenda on the formulation and implementation of Brazilian educational policies during the government of Fernando Henrique Cardoso. Situated within a context of state restructuring and the consolidation of reforms guided by the Washington Consensus, the study examines the transformations throughout his two terms in office (1995 to 2002), with emphasis on changes in patterns of financing, management, and regulation of education. From a methodological standpoint, this is a qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive study, based on a literature review and documentary analysis of legislation, institutional reports, and academic works in the field. The results indicate that, although there were advances in the universalization of primary education, especially with the implementation of mechanisms such as FUNDEF, educational policies during this period were marked by the incorporation of managerial principles, administrative decentralization, and the growing participation of the private sector, particularly in higher education—policies that contributed to redefining the role of the State in educational governance.