“Political Neutrality” in Education? Part I: The Fallacy of Neutrality in Academic Activities
Fernando Romani Sales and Maria Fernanda Silva Assis | 29 May 2026 | Iconnect
Across the world, various sociopolitical actors and forces have called for “political neutrality” in education. In May 2026, the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court (STF) declared unconstitutional a law that prohibited “gender-related pedagogical activities” in public schools in the state of Espírito Santo. Among the Court’s arguments were that the statute violated the freedoms to teach and learn, as well as the pluralism of ideas and pedagogical approaches (STF, 2026). In the United States, hundreds of courses are at risk due to the implementation of university policies that restrict teaching on gender and race (The Texas Tribune, 2025).
This two-part discussion aims to examine the threats posed by the so-called “political neutrality” in education to academic freedom and, above all, to democracy. We argue that demands for “political neutrality” in education have two main dimensions: neutrality in academic activities (namely, teaching, research, and the dissemination of knowledge and ideas by professors, researchers, and students), and institutional neutrality, referring to political neutrality exercised by educational and research institutions themselves. This text focuses on the first dimension; the next one will address institutional neutrality…