ILLITERACY IN BRAZIL AND SOCIAL INEQUALITIES: LIMITS AND CHALLENGES OF PUBLIC POLICIES

Abstract

This study discusses illiteracy in Brazil based on its relationship with social inequalities and the limitations of public educational policies aimed at combating it. The research is grounded in the understanding that illiteracy goes beyond the absence of reading and writing skills, constituting a social phenomenon historically associated with educational exclusion, economic inequality, and restricted access to fundamental rights. The objective of this study was to analyze the impacts of public policies on combating illiteracy and to understand how social inequalities interfere with the Brazilian population’s access to education. The research is qualitative in nature and was developed through bibliographic review and documentary analysis of data from the Continuous National Household Sample Survey – Education 2024, published by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). The study is theoretically based on the contributions of Freire (1987), Saviani (2008), Libâneo (2012), Arroyo (2011), Bourdieu and Passeron (2014), and Soares (2004). The results show that, despite the gradual reduction in illiteracy rates in Brazil, regional, social, and racial inequalities still persist, limiting equal access to education. Public policies such as Youth and Adult Education (EJA), the Brazil Literate Program, and the National Education Plan contributed to important advances, although they still face challenges related to school retention, quality of learning, and social inclusion. It is concluded that combating illiteracy requires continuous and articulated public policies committed not only to access to schooling, but also to the democratization of knowledge and the reduction of social inequalities.