PUBLIC SCHOOL MANAGEMENT IN THE INDIGENOUS CONTEXT:

CHALLENGES AND POSSIBILITIES FOR PROMOTING INTERCULTURAL SCHOOL EDUCATION

Abstract

This article discusses the management of public schools in the Brazilian Indigenous context from a decolonial perspective, aiming to reflect on how Indigenous schooling can be more than a simple adaptation to the dominant system, becoming instead a space for the affirmation of languages, cosmologies, and ways of existence. Methodologically, it presents itself as an epistemological essay grounded in the contributions of Beleni Grando, João Carlos Gomes, and Isabel Taukane, as well as in decolonial theoretical references. The analysis shows that, although the national legal framework — the Federal Constitution of 1988, the 1996 National Education Guidelines and Framework Law (LDB), and the National Guidelines for Indigenous Education — acknowledges specificities, its implementation is limited by the persistence of colonial curricular and administrative practices. The results highlight that the centrality of Portuguese, precarious infrastructure, and insufficient teacher training create barriers to achieving intercultural education. On the other hand, experiences of bilingual schools with strong community participation demonstrate the feasibility of integrated curricula that connect academic and traditional knowledge, strengthening identities, expanding cultural autonomy, and promoting meaningful learning. The article concludes that Indigenous school management requires the active involvement of community leaders and families, adequate funding, recognition of Indigenous languages and epistemologies, and assessment aligned with cultural cycles, in order to transform schools into territories of dialogue between worlds — an essential condition for consolidating an intercultural, equitable, and decolonized educational system.