Somar Project: the paths of privatization in the management of public education in the state of Minas Gerais after five years of implementation

Abstract

This study analyzes the Projeto Somar, implemented in 2020 within the context of the educational policies of the Romeu Zema (2019-2022) administration in Minas Gerais, as an expression of contemporary reconfigurations of public educational management under neoliberal logic. The investigation examines the transfer of the management of three state public schools to social organizations, highlighting the advancement of indirect forms of privatization that challenge the public character of education after five years of the project’s implementation. Inserted within a broader movement of the commodification of education, the project signals the intensification of public-private relations and the redefinition of the role of the State. Methodologically, the research articulates a literature review and document analysis, seeking to apprehend the phenomenon in its historical and contradictory dimensions. The results indicate that, although presented as an efficiency strategy, the model undermines democratic principles and reinforces the influence of capital in the organization of public schooling, producing profound implications for education in Minas Gerais.