It’s still January, and we can’t help but feel that everything is new. After all, a new year means a new life. In our forums for dialogue on education—and everything related to the topic—it couldn’t be any different, especially this year. In fact, the school year itself hasn’t even started yet, but educators are constantly busy, even during the holidays—we have new “leaders” in schools, educational institutions, and, most notably, at the Ministry of Education, now under the leadership of Minister Camilo Santana. 

When we think about the new developments on the horizon for 2023 and beyond, it’s important to approach education management with objectivity and clarity, so as not to fall into Alice’s “dilemma”: “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.”  

Planning

Take it easy! Setting aside complex issues, educational management and school management are fundamental, and as such, they must be approached with a long-term perspective. Of course, short-term actions are important for a semester, and medium-term actions for the school year. But if we want solutions for a quality education—one that is equitable and addresses all the needs and priorities inherent in the act of educating—the long term is even more critical, as it is imperative to envision an education system that serves society and the educational ecosystem for one, two, or more generations. 

Bernardo Toro, a Colombian philosopher and educator, believes that education is a cultural product—something that has been invented. “Like everything that is invented, it can be changed if necessary, if something isn’t working.” 

Yes, changing course may be necessary to discover new paths. But at which port will we dock our ship of “education”? We need to know from the start what our ultimate goal is. Where do we want to go? That is precisely why, for many years, Toro has been talking about the importance of “building” an education system—and why not a management system as well?—that takes a long-term view of 10 years or more.

Ceará Takes the Spotlight

This “purpose-driven management” is already the foundation at many municipal and state schools. In the public school system, some examples have shown that long-term management is not only possible but also yields good results.

Generally speaking, this is what the public school system in Ceará does, for example. According to a study by the Ministry of Education, based on data from the Basic Education Development Index (Ideb 2019), the state scored 5.2 points for 9th grade, tying for first place with São Paulo, and ranked third in terms of 4th grade performance (6.3 points), behind São Paulo (6.5 points) and Paraná (6.4). Among the 20 highest-ranked cities in 2021, 18 are in Ceará, according to the Brazilian Education Opportunities Index (Ioeb), with Cruz and Sobral standing out.  

Commitment to the People

For all schools and educational institutions, administrators know that management must be committed to the students’ future. And in the public school system, the approach should be the same—not reevaluated every four years. Because, in this way, we view education as a project of the state and the nation, not just of individual administrations.  

It is up to all those who understand Paulo Freire’s concept of “hope” to look toward 2023 and beyond and ask themselves: Why am I doing this? Will what I’m doing now lead me to the future I’ve been envisioning and shaping? Or will we always keep our feet, hands, minds, and hearts rooted in new beginnings, in everything being new again?  

*Article originally published in *Revista Educação*.

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