Merit in the careers of first ring teachers in the metropolitan region of Curitiba: a conceptual map

Abstract

This research mapped how the concept of merit is constructed in the context of teaching careers in the municipalities that make up the first ring of the Metropolitan Region of Curitiba. The analysis carried out exclusively on job, career and remuneration plans and complementary documents demonstrated that it is present in all plans, although it is not always used as a specific term. Based on this mapping, it is proposed to understand the concept “merit” in three different ways: the first refers to the nature of the work, understood as the fulfillment of the duties related to the position; the second consists of the individual search for training outside of those provided by education networks; the third as meritocracy, in the competitive sense, including variable payment or certification, awards and certificates of honor for merit. No documents were found that record objective criteria for this recognition. The work points out as a possibility for future research the complementary and/or additive documents to the career and remuneration plans, and the different conditions of the members of the municipal networks to reach the end of the possibilities of salary advancement, considering that there are bonuses for master's and doctorate degrees, and neither conditions always open up these possibilities.