Gestão social do IFMG Campus Formiga: uma proposta paradigmática

Abstract

The performance of the Federal Institutes of Education, Science, and Technology (IFs) is intersected by an intrinsic dialectical tension between bureaucratic-instrumental rationality and the mission of promoting regional development and human emancipation. This thesis investigates the problem of the gap between managerial practice and the original pedagogical proposal of IFMG Campus Formiga, questioning whether its current management paradigm meets the objectives of local development and student autonomy. The general objective consisted of understanding, analyzing, and characterizing the institution's management, based on the categories of Social Management, Deliberative Citizenship, and Critical Pedagogy. The methodology followed a multidimensional and qualitative research design, structured in four sequential phases: 1) analysis of the historical genesis and community expectations via Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of reports and documents; 2) reconstruction of the administrative formalization process; 3) diagnosis of contemporary institutional management; and 4) evaluation of the perception of external actors and alumni. The theoretical-methodological framework utilized Fairclough’s perspective and Habermas's theory of communicative action to interpret the “mini public spheres” that guided the creation of the campus. The practical intervention was operationalized through Emancipatory Participatory Rapid Appraisal (EPRA), involving an interdisciplinary team and 32 social subjects (faculty, technical staff, students, and civil society) in processes of active listening and information triangulation. The results evidenced an institutional paradox: although the campus has consolidated itself as a center of academic and technical excellence, it suffers from an “institutional insularity” that has weakened the dialogical bonds with the territory. The analysis demonstrated that the promises of integrated regional development were, in part, replaced by a logic of decision-making verticalization. Regarding the alumni, the findings indicate that the institution succeeds in qualifying for the market but presents gaps in the formation of transformative subjects, resulting in “pieces of excellence” for the productive machinery that lack protagonism in deliberative citizenship. The perception of civil society corroborated this diagnosis, revealing a strategic mismatch between the curricular supply and the real needs of the local productive arrangement, characterizing the campus as an “underutilized opportunity” by its surroundings. The final considerations point out that the isolation of leadership and the lack of belonging are symptoms of a technocratic model that has moved away from social management. The thesis culminates in the proposal and validation of Social Management (SM) as a paradigmatic proposal for IFMG Campus Formiga. This proposal, grounded in communicative rationality, seeks to break administrative verticality and institutionalize dialogue as a strategic axis. It is concluded that the transition to this paradigm is the “untested feasible” necessary to reverse insularity and fulfill the commitment of the IFs to social emancipation. This thesis reaffirms that institutional efficacy should not be measured only by technical performance indicators, but by its porosity to social demands and its capacity to forge autonomous citizens committed to the common good.