A EDUCAÇÃO DE JOVENS E ADULTOS: A CONCEPÇÃO DE MARIA CLARA DI PIERRO

Abstract

This article deals with Maria Clara Di Pierro's conception of Youth and Adult Education (EJA), which provides a broad contribution to the topic, emphasizing some of the aspects raised by this researcher, such as the secondary nature of this type of education in terms of public policies. It seeks to give visibility to the discussion of a type of education related to a largely precarious public, seeking to list the author's publications that deal with the topic, including articles, interviews and debates, selecting some to support the discussion of the issue of the problems pertinent to this type of education. This article follows in the wake of struggles to seek to restore rights conquered and constitutionally guaranteed for a segment of the population that was prevented from having access to formal education. EJA is aimed at young people and adults who did not complete their studies at the conventional age, who make up a very heterogeneous category among themselves, given that their learning difficulties and interruptions in studies occurred in a unique way. This type of education differs from others due to the fragility of the students who seek it. Pierro (2005) states that the first weeks of classes are decisive in view of the discomfort that these students experience, as they often give up on returning to school. Therefore, these aspects that give this segment heterogeneity require flexible support and guidance, based on the students' life experiences. It was concluded that EJA has made formal progress in its provision as a public policy in Brazil, but it still largely lacks basic elements for its proper functioning, among them, the training of teachers who deal with this modality.