THE RIGHT TO LITERACY AND YOUTH AND ADULT EDUCATION IN MOZAMBIQUE

unfolding its pathways and current situation

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to reflect on the unfolding of the process of guaranteeing the right to literacy and education for young people and adults in Mozambique, pointing to the paths travelled and their situation in the current context. It is a study based on bibliographical and documentary research using data from official statistics from the Ministry of Education and Human Development for the period from 2014 to 2023. Reading the data and the results shows that the paths taken to materialise Youth and Adult Education in Mozambique, despite having contributed to improving illiteracy rates in the country, are still far from the dream of ‘eradicating’ illiteracy. At the same time, it is possible to see that, in the period analysed, despite the fact that dropout rates have always been high in the country, they are now lower. However, dropout rates among women remain high when compared to the rates for men who enrol in this type of education. Paradoxically, although the northern region of the country has the highest illiteracy rates, it has been the region with the lowest number of centres for this type of education. The results confirm the importance of considering training itineraries that take into account the characteristics of the places where the Youth and Adult Education is implemented and a more flexible curriculum, which can contribute to the permanence of young people and adults. Furthermore, for secondary education, it is essential to think about a curriculum that is adjusted to the particularities of the adult public, which has its own needs and characteristics.