INTERCULTURAL EDUCATION ON THE BRAZIL-BOLIVIA BORDER: CHALLENGES AND PRACTICES OF SCHOOL INCLUSION IN CÁCERES-MT

Abstract

This article analyzes the challenges and practices of school inclusion of Bolivian students in the state public school system of Cáceres, a municipality located on the border between Brazil and Bolivia. It is an excerpt from a master's thesis entitled "Integration of Bolivian Immigrants in Basic Education in the Municipality of Cáceres-MT," developed in the Postgraduate Program in Geography at the State University of Mato Grosso. The study's empirical field was the Doze de Outubro State School, an institution located in a strategic area of ​​cross-border circulation and which receives students from San Matías. Methodologically, the research adopted a qualitative approach, with bibliographic research, field research, and the application of semi-structured questionnaires to ten Bolivian students or children of Bolivian immigrants. The theoretical framework engages with the concepts of territory, place, multiterritoriality, and interculturality, highlighting authors such as Rogério Haesbaert, Yi-Fu Tuan, Milton Santos, and Vera Maria Candau. The results show that the school plays a relevant role in welcoming and ensuring the retention of these students, constituting a space of opportunity and integration. However, challenges persist related to language barriers, partial socialization, the still limited appreciation of Bolivian culture, and the occurrence of prejudice and xenophobia. It is concluded that education in border regions demands specific public policies, ongoing teacher training, and intercultural pedagogical practices capable of transforming diversity into a structuring element of learning and democratic coexistence.