YOUTH AND ADULT EDUCATION: PERSPECTIVES OF RESIDENTS OF SLUMS AND URBAN PERIPHERIES

Abstract

Considering the profound social, territorial, and educational inequalities that have historically shaped Youth and Adult Education (Educação de Jovens e Adultos – EJA) in Brazil, especially in the contexts of urban slums and peripheral areas, this article problematizes this educational modality as a public and subjective right whose implementation remains constrained by structural processes of exclusion. The study aims to critically analyze EJA based on the experiences and living conditions of individuals residing in these territories, discussing the meanings attributed to this modality within Brazilian educational policies. To this end, the article adopts a qualitative theoretical essay approach, grounded in a critical analysis of the academic literature on EJA, popular education, and structural inequalities, in dialogue with authors such as Freire (2004), Arroyo (2017), Paiva, and Julião (2019). The analysis reveals that educational policies aimed at EJA have historically been marked by a compensatory and utilitarian character, often subordinated to labor market demands and correction-of-flow logics, which limits access, permanence, and educational success for students in this modality. It is concluded that strengthening EJA requires its affirmation as a space for human, political, and emancipatory education, guided by the principle of equity and the recognition of differences, overcoming reductionist practices and reaffirming education as an instrument of social justice.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56238/sevened2026.011-008