DEMOCRATIZATION OF ACCESS TO BOOKS: AN ANALYSIS OF SEEC/RN ORDINANCE No. 1,583/2023

Abstract

This article analyzes Ordinance No. 1.583/2023 of the State Department of Education, Culture, Sport and Leisure of Rio Grande do Norte (SEEC/RN), which established the Prime Reading Time in public state schools. The study seeks to understand how the initiative contributes to the democratization of access to books, the development of readers, and the strengthening of reading practices in the school environment. Methodologically, this is a qualitative, bibliographic, and documentary study, based on authors who discuss reading, literacy, reader education, and educational public policies. The analysis shows that the institutionalization of collective reading practices represents an important strategy for encouraging reading culture, especially in contexts marked by social inequalities and limited access to books. It is concluded that permanent public reading policies have significant potential to strengthen students' critical education, expand access to literature, and consolidate schools as spaces for cultural democratization.