Final answer:
Paulo Freire claimed that education is central to economic change, believing it empowers individuals to understand and reshape economic conditions towards a more equitable society. The correct option is C.
Step-by-step explanation:
Paulo Freire is known for his perspectives on education as a mechanism for social change, particularly in relation to economic structures. Freire's claim as an economic reconstructionist is that education is central to economic change (c).
He believed that education could empower the oppressed to recognize and overcome the injustices within society, including those embedded in the economic systems. It's through critical consciousness that people can challenge prevailing economic conditions and participate in the creation of a more equitable society.
While capitalism prioritizes private investment and market competition and socialism emphasizes common ownership and government regulation, Freire saw the transformative power of education as a way to address the disparities these systems can produce.
According to Freire, a purely capitalist or socialist system does not necessarily meet the needs of all individuals. However, his focus remained on the educational process as the preeminent means of inciting economic and societal transformation.