Literacy, Ideology, And Educational Policies. A Historical Analysis Of The Normative Acts

The Estado Novo regime (1933–1974) explored education as part of its broader ideological project, distancing itself from the republican principles of 1911. During this time, educational policies promoted the regime's ideology and values.
This paper explores the relationship between educational policy and ideological governance during Portugal's Estado Novo regime (1933-1974), focusing on the normative acts published in the “Diário do Governo”. These acts, published between 1933 and 1936, illustrate how the regime's approach to literacy went beyond traditional academic skills to include ideological indoctrination. This study examines the continuities and ruptures in national education following the 1911 educational reform by situating these policies within the broader historical framework of literacy as a socio-political tool.
A document analysis of the normative acts issued by the Ministry of Public Instruction, later renamed the Ministry of National Education, reveals a dual focus: on administrative governance, such as school organisation and teacher evaluation, and ideological orientation, including compulsory religious education, moral instruction and the promotion of nationalist narratives through textbooks.
In 1933, 244 normative acts were issued, including 121 decrees and 65 decree laws regulating teacher training, school curricula, and the political behaviour of students and teachers. The results highlight the tensions between continuity and change in literacy policies under the Estado Novo. By comparing the normative acts with the paradigms of the 1911 reform, it identifies both the ideological shifts introduced by the regime and the structural challenges that persisted, paving the way for future reforms, including the 1970 Veiga Simão reform.
The regime's educational policies reflected the socio-political dynamics of the time, where access to education was limited by gender and socio-economic status, particularly in rural areas. While literacy campaigns were ostensibly aimed at reducing illiteracy rates, they often served to reinforce traditional gender roles and maintain socio-political hierarchies. The authoritarian framework emphasised functional literacy over critical literacy, preparing students to be obedient citizens rather than engaged critical thinkers.
Youth organisations such as the “Portuguese Mocity” further supported the regime's efforts to align literacy with its ideological goals. These organisations integrated regime values into educational activities. Religious education became a cornerstone of the curriculum, cementing an alliance between the Estado Novo and the Catholic Church and positioning literacy as a tool for moral and ideological conformity.
This research provides a nuanced perspective on the historical impact of authoritarian policies on education, highlighting the dual role of schools as instruments of state ideology and sites of social negotiation during a critical period in Portugal's history.