FROM THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION TO THE RIGHT TO LIFELONG LEARNING: PEALV AS AN EXPERIENCE OF PARADIGM SHIFT IN ADULT EDUCATION

Abstract

This article discusses the expansion of the concept of the right to education from the perspective of lifelong learning, analyzing the Lifelong Expanded Education Program (PEALV), developed by the Municipal Foundation for Community Education (FUMEC) in the city of Campinas. It is based on the assumption that contemporary social, demographic, cultural, and technological transformations challenge traditional conceptions that associate education exclusively with formal schooling, requiring the development of policies capable of ensuring permanent learning opportunities for different social groups. The study aims to analyze PEALV as an expression of a possible paradigmatic transition in adult education, marked by the expansion of the right to education beyond the logic of school certification. Methodologically, it is a qualitative study of a bibliographic and documentary nature, grounded in the contributions of Paulo Freire, Miguel González Arroyo, Maria Clara Di Pierro, Peter Jarvis, and Licínio Lima, as well as documents produced by UNESCO and FUMEC. The analysis shows that lifelong expanded education constitutes a perspective capable of articulating human development, social participation, digital inclusion, and the exercise of citizenship at different stages of life. It concludes that experiences such as PEALV contribute to broadening the meanings attributed to the right to education, pointing to the need for public policies committed to guaranteeing the right to learn throughout life.