Rural, water and forest education: cultural diversity in the construction of school knowledge in the Amazon of Pará

Abstract

This article addresses the importance of education for the people of the countryside, waters and forests in the Amazon region of Pará, focusing on valuing local knowledge and promoting the sustainable development of traditional communities. It aims to analyze the importance of respect for cultural diversity in the construction of school knowledge of the people of the countryside, waters and forests in the Amazon of Pará, discussing the relevance of a good education, which respects cultural diversity. The methodological approachbased on a qualitative approach can be justified by the belief that it provided inquiry into the limits and possibilities that the research process itself presents on a daily basis. The recognition of local knowledge is highlighted as a starting point for learning in these communities, enabling contextualized and meaningful education. In this approach, the school becomes a space for dialogue and exchange of experiences, valuing culture and popular knowledge as fundamental for the construction of knowledge. However, criticisms of the current curriculum model imposed on the countryside, dissociated from their local realities and disregarding their cultures, are also discussed. To overcome these challenges, the advances achieved through the struggle of social movements, especially the landless, are presented, emphasizing the importance of initiatives such as the Degree in Rural Education.