WHAT DOES "REGULAR" MEAN IN EDUCATION?

Abstract

The 1988 Federal Constitution guarantees education as a right for all and mandates that Specialized Educational Services (AEE) be offered preferably within the regular education system, reaffirming the principles of equality, equity, and inclusion. However, the very term "Regular Education" reveals historical and political tensions, as it suggests the existence of a standard of normality and, implicitly, of subjects who would fall outside of it. This essay problematizes the meanings of "regular" and "irregular" in education, questioning whether a student who needs AEE could be considered irregular. In light of human rights and an inclusive perspective, it is argued that it is not the student who deviates from regularity, but the educational system that needs to reorganize itself to address human diversity. AEE is understood not as a space of exception, but as an instrument of equity, which broadens the notion of regularity by recognizing different times, trajectories, and ways of learning. The discussion is enriched by the metaphor present in the song "Maluco Beleza" by Raul Seixas, which challenges the concepts of normality and deviance, valuing singularity as a principle. It concludes that true regularity in education lies in guaranteeing inclusion, pedagogical flexibility, and an ethical commitment to the right to learning for all.