Physical education in the educational policies of the last decades in Uruguay: Continuities and ruptures between the progressive and the conservative

Abstract

This article addresses the main continuities and ruptures between the progressive and conservative era in educational policies in the field of physical education in Uruguay (2005-2021). Using Pêcheux's (1990) discourse analysis, a documentary corpus composed of laws and decrees, study plans and programs and national curricular frameworks was selected. In the progressive era, the expansion of public access to physical education was promoted, which played a key role in educational inclusion programs and showed great potential for the revaluation of work in the territory and the intersectoral and interinstitutional approach. Teacher participation processes were promoted to carry out these changes. These dimensions were reduced in the current conservative educational project as a result of public spending cuts, the elimination of some roles with emphasis on the territorial aspect and changes in the modes of participation. Although the incorporation of the discourse of competencies and socioemotional skills began at the end of the progressive era, in the current government it acquires greater strength and the latter is used to support physical education.