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The article investigates the representations attributed to the role of science education in shaping students today. Based on the literature in the field and the principles of STS (Science, Technology, and Society) Education, it analyzes curriculum innovation trends and their purposes over the past 50 years. It also examines official documents guiding the teaching of Natural Sciences in basic education, aiming to identify the proposed goals for this area. In the empirical section, editions of Jornal da Ciência – Notícias (JC-Notícias), published between 2014 and 2023 by the Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Science, are analyzed to understand how this entity expresses positions and influences public opinion on the role of science education. The study adopts a qualitative approach, focusing on documentary research and using Robert Yin's Analytical Cycle as a basis for content analysis. The results reveal different perspectives on the aims of science education: some publications highlight the promotion of scientific careers and the technological and economic development of the country; others emphasize citizenship education, stressing the social and ethical commitment of science teaching. The study concludes that, despite advances in more critical and emancipatory proposals, traditional conceptions still persist significantly in the discourse of part of the Brazilian scientific community regarding the purposes of science education.