EDUCATION, INCLUSION AND CITIZENSHIP: LITERACY IN YOUTH AND ADULT EDUCATION AS A SOCIAL RIGHT

Abstract

Youth and Adult Education is an important educational modality aimed at guaranteeing the right to education for people who, due to different social, economic and cultural factors, did not have access to schooling or were unable to continue their studies at the expected age. In this context, literacy plays a fundamental role in promoting social inclusion, citizenship and emancipation, going beyond the mere technical learning of reading and writing. This article aims to analyze literacy in Youth and Adult Education as an instrument of social inclusion, citizenship formation and realization of the right to education. The research is characterized by a qualitative, exploratory, bibliographic and field approach, developed in a municipal public school located in São Lourenço da Mata, Pernambuco, Brazil. The methodological procedures included bibliographic review, documentary analysis, classroom observation, semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire applied to Youth and Adult Education students. The analysis was conducted qualitatively, seeking to identify elements related to school trajectories, challenges of permanence, pedagogical practices and the meanings attributed by students to the literacy process. The results show that literacy in Youth and Adult Education contributes to strengthening autonomy, self-esteem, social participation and the expansion of educational and professional opportunities. The study also points to persistent challenges, such as school dropout, social inequalities, fatigue after the workday, difficulties in remaining at school and the need for more inclusive, dialogical and contextualized pedagogical practices. It is concluded that literacy in Youth and Adult Education represents an instrument of social transformation and guarantee of rights, being fundamental for the construction of a democratic, humanizing education focused on citizenship.