National Educational Policies - Portugal

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Educational Policies and Political Context

In authoritarian regimes, maintaining the dominant ideology and building a national identity aligned with political power are recurring and strategically essential practices. In this context, the media and institutional socialization mechanisms play a key role in spreading a national identity that, as Pereira emphasizes, should be understood as a 'collective cultural phenomenon' (Pereira, M. P., 2014, p. 61). Among these mechanisms, schools stand out as a key instrument of the state, serving both as spaces for formal education and ideological indoctrination, with their importance growing as the schooling of the child population increases.

Paradoxes of the Estado Novo

Contrary to a common belief, the fight against illiteracy is not inherently incompatible with authoritarian regimes. On the contrary, it can benefit their interests if the education system is aligned with and controlled by the regime's political goals. In this setting, literacy is not a tool for critical liberation but a means for social cohesion and maintaining the current political order.

In Portugal during the Estado Novo, the use of education for political purposes developed within a context shaped by specific historical factors. First, the legacy of a fragile education system, due to centuries of delay in providing basic education to all, was reflected in high illiteracy rates that persisted into the early 20th century. Despite the educational reforms attempted during the First Republic, they were insufficient to produce lasting changes in the country's educational landscape.

Thus, in the first decade of the Estado Novo, two key elements aligned to support Salazar's political goals. On one hand, there was a mostly illiterate population, whose gradual integration into the school system helped the regime shape values, behaviors, and social perceptions early on. On the other hand, national census data showed a slight but steady decline in illiteracy, indicating a promising opportunity for expanding a highly centralized, moralizing, and ideologically driven primary school system. In this way, education became a fundamental part of the Estado Novo's political strategy, linking elementary education, social discipline, and the regime's legitimacy.