The Graduate Program in Education, Contemporary Contexts, and Popular Demands (PPGEduc) began its activities with the first meeting of its Full Board, which took place on September 5, 2008, in the Meeting Room of the Administrative Secretariat of the Multidisciplinary Institute of the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ) in Nova Iguaçu. In 2009, the Program was officially recognized and implemented through Opinion CES/CNE 122/2009, published in Ordinance No. 590 of the Ministry of Education on June 19, 2009. During its initial Full Board meetings, PPGEduc had only 8 permanent faculty members and 3 collaborating faculty members, distributed across two research lines. Although implemented in 2009, it was only in 2011 that the first Master’s class of the Program began, consisting of 20 students. Classes were held at the UFRRJ Institute of Education in Seropédica and the Multidisciplinary Institute. During this period, the Program had 14 permanent faculty members, 5 collaborating faculty members, and 1 visiting professor. In December 2012, the first Master’s thesis defense of the Program took place. It is noteworthy that in 2012, PPGEduc was recognized by the Ministry of Education through Ordinance No. 1,077, dated August 31, 2012, and accredited by CAPES with a score of 4, obtained in the 2013 triennial evaluation and maintained in the 2017 and 2021 quadrennial evaluations. In 2015, the PPGEduc Doctoral course was created, and 9 students were enrolled in its first cohort. The Program’s Doctorate was officially recognized and implemented through Opinion CES/CNE 46/2016, published in Ordinance No. 919 of the Ministry of Education on August 18, 2016. At that time, PPGEduc had 35 Master’s students, 14 Doctoral students, 20 permanent faculty members, and 2 collaborating faculty members. In July 2018, the first Doctoral dissertation defense of the Program took place. By the end of the 2024 quadrennial, PPGEduc had 52 Master’s students, 151 Doctoral students, 37 permanent faculty members, and 7 collaborating faculty members. Throughout its history up to 2024, a total of 481 defenses had been conducted at PPGEduc, comprising 365 Master’s defenses and 116 Doctoral defenses.

It is evident that the establishment of PPGEduc involved two UFRRJ Institutes: the Institute of Education, located at the UFRRJ Headquarters Campus in Seropédica, and the Multidisciplinary Institute, located at the Nova Iguaçu campus. The Institute of Education is composed of four departments: the Department of Physical Education and Sports (DEFD), the Department of Psychology (DPsi), the Department of Theory, Planning, and Teaching (DTPE), and the Department of Rural Education, Social Movements, and Diversity (DECAMPD). Established in the 1970s, the Institute of Education has significantly contributed to undergraduate and graduate education at UFRRJ. At the undergraduate level, it offers pedagogical courses for all teaching degrees, such as Biology, Fine Arts, Agricultural Sciences, Biological Sciences, Social Sciences, Rural Education, Physical Education, Philosophy, Physics, Geography, History, Languages, Mathematics, and Chemistry. Additionally, it is responsible for offering five degree programs: Bachelor’s in Physical Education, Bachelor’s in Agricultural Sciences, Bachelor’s in Pedagogy, Bachelor’s in Rural Education, and Psychology. Since 1980, faculty members from the Institute of Education have also played an important role in graduate education by offering lato sensu specialization courses in pedagogical areas, sports pedagogy, higher education methodology, teacher training for internship supervision, and elective and mandatory courses in various Master’s and Doctoral programs at UFRRJ. In addition to the Graduate Program in Education, Contemporary Contexts, and Popular Demands (PPGEduc), the Institute of Education is responsible for two other graduate programs: the Academic Master’s and Doctorate in Psychology, through the Graduate Program in Psychology (PPGPsi), and the Professional Master’s in Science and Mathematics Education, through the Graduate Program in Science and Mathematics Education (PPGEduCIMAT).

The Multidisciplinary Institute was established in 2005 in response to the policy for expanding Federal Institutions of Higher Education (IFES), proposed by the Ministry of Education. Its academic activities began in April 2006. Located at the Nova Iguaçu University Campus, it currently comprises nine departments: the Department of Administration and Tourism (DAT), the Department of Legal Sciences (DCJUR), the Department of Economic Sciences (DCE), the Department of Education and Society (DES), the Department of History (DH), the Department of Languages (DEL), the Department of Technologies and Languages (DTL), the Department of Geography (DGeo), and the Department of Computer Science (DCC). At the undergraduate level, the Multidisciplinary Institute offers thirteen programs: Administration, Computer Science, Economic Sciences, Law, Bachelor’s in Geography, Bachelor’s in History, Bachelor’s in Languages, Bachelor’s in Mathematics, Bachelor’s in Applied Mathematics, Bachelor’s in Special Education (online), Pedagogy, Bachelor’s in Tourism, and Bachelor’s in Tourism (online). At the graduate level, it offers nine programs: Administration, Social Sciences, Territorial Development, Agricultural Education, History, Digital Humanities, Computational Mathematics, Heritage, Culture and Society, in addition to PPGEduc. With 20 years of existence, the Multidisciplinary Institute has distinguished itself through its robust work in undergraduate and graduate education, scientific research, and university extension, along with strong cultural engagement, considering the high demand from the population of the Baixada Fluminense region, where PPGEduc is based.

With an urban approach centered on the popular demands of metropolitan peripheries, particularly in the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro, the Paraíba Valley, and the Baixada Fluminense, the proposal for the creation of PPGEduc emerged from the partnership between these two academic units: the Institute of Education and the Multidisciplinary Institute. This was a pioneering initiative at UFRRJ, resulting from the faculty’s extensive research, teaching, and extension activities in the years leading up to its creation. The research conducted at that time already focused on contemporary urban themes related to education, emphasizing popular demands, particularly the democratization of access to education, the defense of public education, and the training of education professionals, all aimed at broadening access to knowledge. The primary focus of PPGEduc has always been on training high-level researchers in Education who are committed to addressing the popular demands emerging from various contemporary educational contexts. This focus aligns with the guidelines established by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). In this regard, UFRRJ recognizes that maintaining a graduate program with this focus represents a strategic initiative to refine the scientific knowledge accumulated by its researchers, which, when integrated with the educational and productive sectors hosting graduates from various programs—especially teaching degrees—makes a significant contribution to continuing education and the development of new advanced knowledge, thereby fostering regional development.

At UFRRJ, the field of Education has seen a positive expansion, both through faculty training and their engagement in teaching, research, and extension activities. In this regard, the University has advanced in establishing the conditions for a robust research and graduate education program, which has been highly demanded by regions such as the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro, the Baixada Fluminense, and the Southern Fluminense Region, among others. PPGEduc has played a significant role in expanding opportunities for training highly qualified professionals for scientific and technological development in Education, both for Higher Education and Basic Education. Due to the complexity of the social, political, and economic context in which this academic work takes place, PPGEduc’s scientific production has been characterized by an engaged approach to popular and democratic demands while maintaining the necessary objectivity required in scientific research. The establishment of the Doctoral Program at PPGEduc in 2015 not only marked the consolidation of a reference center for academic production but also introduced new challenges associated with deepening contemporary theoretical and methodological discussions, aiming to address popular demands within the context from which they emerge. These challenges have propelled PPGEduc throughout its history to remain effectively committed to the emerging issues in the field of Education.

It is important to highlight that, throughout its trajectory, PPGEduc has benefited from the dedication of committed faculty members, whose leadership as coordinators has been fundamental to the advancement of the Program’s quality. With effort, dedication, and strategic planning, these faculty members, supported by the entire Program Board, have played and continue to play an essential role in consolidating and enhancing academic activities, expanding scientific production, and improving the quality of Master’s and Doctoral education. Below is the list of all PPGEduc coordinators since its inception.