PUBLIC EDUCATION IN MANAUS OVER THE PAST DECADE: DISCREPANCIES BETWEEN SCHOOL FLOW AND PROFICIENCY IN IDEB

Abstract

This article delves into the reality of the municipal public education network in Manaus to understand what is truly happening with student learning. Over the years of the application of the SAEB (National Examination), the Basic Education Development Index (IDEB) has shown advancements. However, do these numbers represent a genuine improvement in student learning? This investigation focuses on a key suspicion: the discrepancy between the two components that make up the IDEB school flow (promotion and retention rates) and proficiency (what students have learned). We sought to verify whether the observed IDEB growth means students are learning more, or whether it results from strategically focused actions, constituting a "false education" aimed solely at achieving statistical goals. Using official MEC/INEP data, we identified that the IDEB numbers may be primarily driven by the increase in promotion rates; in other words, students are advancing from year to year. The problem? A proportional increase in their learning does not accompany this advancement. The study raises an urgent debate: what is the real impact of these large-scale assessments on how schools are managed? And what are the risks of the so-called "pedagogy of the exam," where the focus on passing the test ends up diverting attention from teaching quality and the integral development of students?