EVOLUTION OF SCHOOL ENROLLMENTS IN LARGE CITIES

A CASE STUDY OF BELÉM METROPOLITAN AREA (BRAZIL)

Abstract

The tendency to reduce the number of enrollments in basic education schools and the important changes in the spatial distribution of these enrollments has been detected in several Brazilian municipalities. This study seeks to identify whether this occurred in the conurbation of Belem Metropolitan Area (RMB) - comprising the municipalities of Belem, Ananindeua, Marituba and Benevides -, and what would be its causes. For this, using secondary data on the evolution of enrollment in state public schools (2004-2019) and population by age group (1991-2010), the study tests two hypotheses: These phenomena were caused by the ongoing process of population aging in Brazil and in the considered municipalities, and the migration of families formerly residing in Belem to other municipalities. The case study covered 35 state public schools located in or adjacent to 12 Weighting Areas defined in the 2010 Brazilian Population Census. Such Weighting Areas were grouped two by two to represent six diverse socioeconomic and demographic situations in terms of family income, population aging and migration. The results showed that the reduction in enrollment in basic education schools and its intra-urban spatial distribution occurred and were influenced by population aging and intra-metropolitan migration, corroborating the two hypotheses raised.