Em tempos de guerra e de paz: a Educação Especial em Angola

This study investigates the construction of educational policies focused on Special Education in the Angolan Education System (ESS). The analysis starts from the absence of this policy from the colonial regime to the initiatives constituted from the independence of the country in both periods of civil war and times of peace. The trajectory of special education is analyzed as a source of the official documents of the Angolan government in order to identify the meanings of the formulations in relation to the political and economic conjuncture. Methodologically, this is a qualitative research, in which the official documents are analyzed from the point of view of the critical analysis of the discourse. The theme of special education was contemplated within the scope of institutional normative aspects during the First and Second Republics, characterizing historical milestones to understand the directions of Special Education. However, educational development amid political and economic instability due to civil war has weakened the implementation of Special Education policies. With the establishment of peace, the government invested in the elaboration and approval of documents and legislation aimed at special education and recorded, after the war (2002-2014), an expressive increase of 284% of Special Education students enrolled. It can be affirmed that the effective implementation of Special Education takes place with the end of the civil war, with teacher training, with the approval of public policies and the influence of partnerships with UN agencies, as well as technical cooperation with the called Global South.