Joaquim Gomes de Souza e sua proposta de reforma do currículo da Escola Central

Abstract

The current research has the aim of showing the proposal of Gomes de Souza to reform the curriculum of Escola Central. The curricular evolution of the military academies set out from a curriculum that was destined to graduate engineers and characterized itself as the constant conflict of opinions between scientificists , who advocated for a large basis of general culture, and professionalists , who preferred a formation that was totally military. It was influenced by the Comte s positivist philosophy thought and by the many pedagogical tendencies what punctuated the Brazilian education during the last century. The discussion related to the reform of the curriculum of the Escola Central improved for a long time, even after the beginning of the rules and regulations in 1860, developed with the purpose of having different opinions against the ones s of Jerônimo Francisco Coelho. And producing great effect with the speeches of Gomes de Souza and of Silva Paranhos (Viscount to be of Rio Branco) made in the house of representatives in the years of 1859 and 1860. Both professors of Escola Central, both with special knowledge in mathematical culture, when working in opposite directions in the exam of the curriculum problem, they gave to the issue an importance never seen at that time