Civil-military schools program continues in many Brazilian states despite Lula’s forced termination

The termination of the Civic-Military Schools Program (Pecim) by President Luís Inácio Lula da Silva is not expected to have a significant impact in most states.

A recent survey by Poder360 reveals that only Alagoas has confirmed the complete discontinuation of military personnel participation, while 19 states plan to maintain or readjust the program, and 7 states have yet to decide.

The program, initiated in 2019 during former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration, involved civilian professionals handling the pedagogical aspects of schools, while administrative tasks were overseen by military personnel such as police officers, firefighters, or Armed Forces members.

As of 2022, 200 schools across the country, with a total student enrollment of 120,000, had joined Pecim.

The majority of these schools (54 units) were located in the South region.

Among the governors, those who received support from Bolsonaro showed a stronger inclination to terminate the federal program.

For instance, Tarcísio de Freitas (São Paulo) plans to issue a decree to regulate his own program.

A similar move has already been made by Ibaneis Rocha in the Federal District and Jorginho Mello in Santa Catarina, where the “Safe School” initiative began operating in June.

Governors Ratinho Junior (Paraná) and Romeu Zema (Minas Gerais) also intend to implement their own models.

However, the desire to continue the program extends beyond Bolsonaro-aligned governors. Carlos Brandão (PSB) in Maranhão, who was elected with the support of Minister Flávio Dino, aims to maintain the current model and even expand the involvement of military personnel in other municipalities.

Although Felipe Camarão (PT party), the deputy to Carlos Brandão, expressed disagreement with the program’s continuation, he clarified that no immediate actions were taken by the state government to end the program implemented by the previous administration.

He highlighted that Maranhão already has eight military schools operating successfully, albeit following a different model than the one proposed by the previous government.