The interests of capital in public education in Paraná

ABSTRACT The growing participation of private capital in the management and financing of Brazilian education, through public-private partnerships, is a relevant topic in the field of educational policies. This paper investigates influences and implications of this insertion in Brazilian youth education, problematizing implications for the process of building a fair, egalitarian and truly democratic society. The study analyzes the partnerships and/or agreements signed by the State Department of Education of Paraná (SEED-PR) and the private sector between years 2019 and 2023, through a documentary analysis of information available on the SEED-PR institutional website, mapping the relationships established during this period and their implications for the resulting educational policies. Findings reveal a marked influence of the private sector in public education in Paraná, in which the discourse of professional development and entrepreneurship is used to justify the insertion of capitalist and individualistic values within the educational system, with implications for reproduction of social inequalities. Education is shaped according to market interests and priorities, to the detriment of integral development of youth. The mapping of private agents and their forms of action contributes to the debate on direction of public education in Paraná, highlighting a tendency towards privatization and de-accountability of the State.