Minas Gerais Governor Mateus Simões (PSD) defended civic-military schools in a Metrópoles interview on Monday (13/4). He sent a bill to deputies for legal security to the program, present in nine schools last year. Simões argued the model combats organized crime insertion in the school environment.
Belo Horizonte – Minas Gerais' civic-military schools program faces judicial back-and-forth that could make it unfeasible. To prevent this, Governor Mateus Simões sent a bill to deputies to formalize the partnership, currently in nine schools with plans to expand to up to 700 out of 4,000 state schools.
In a Metrópoles interview on Monday (13/4), Simões highlighted benefits for communities. “The advantage, essentially, is for the communities, more than for the education system itself. Because we're not talking about anything that interferes with the school's daily pedagogical routine. The military basically control student entry with discipline and the functioning of break times, recesses between classes, and that disciplinary role of the schoolyard monitor we used to have, now done by a military member,” he stated.
The bill targets installation in socially vulnerable areas with community consultations. “Schools where we already have organized crime insertion, criminality around the school, putting schools at risk for students, teachers, and school administration,” Simões explained.
According to the governor, the model shows “proven better results regarding school environment control.”