Investigação da meta 9 do PNE nos planos municipais de educação: entre a legislação, a demanda e a oferta da EJA nos Municípios da ERS 211

Abstract

This study investigated the potential demand among illiterate individuals aged 15 and older in the Erechim Immediate Geographic Region. The scope was geographically delimited to four municipalities accessible via the ERS-211 state highway and documentarily grounded in the analysis of Target 9 of the National Education Plan (PNE)—as reflected in the four Municipal Education Plans (PMEs)—and the provision of Youth and Adult Education (EJA) enrollments between 2015 and 2025. The study recognizes EJA as a fundamental public policy for ensuring citizenship and educational inclusion for young people, adults, and the elderly who lacked access to schooling at the appropriate age. Thus, it poses the following question: what is the relationship between Target 9 of the municipal plans, the potential demand, and the provision of EJA? The objective was to analyze how Target 9 of the PNE (2014–2025) is incorporated into the PMEs (2015–2025) of the municipalities of Campinas do Sul, Jacutinga, Paulo Bento, and Cruzaltense, seeking to understand the gap between the documented proposals, the potential demand for literacy, and the provision of EJA enrollments during this period. The research employed a mixed-methods approach (qualitative and quantitative) and was exploratory, descriptive, bibliographic, and documentary in nature. The theoretical and normative framework was grounded in relevant legislation and authors such as Sartori, Di Pierro, Arroyo, and Saviani. Statistical data were sourced from the IBGE Demographic Census (2022) and the INEP School Census (2025). Regarding the results: the historical, legal, and statistical analysis of Youth and Adult Education (EJA) reveals that overcoming absolute illiteracy remains a structural challenge, indicating a persistent social debt that must be addressed through effective and continuous public policies. The investigation found that the municipalities incorporated the national guidelines of Target 9 into their local plans. Data from these municipalities show that literacy is virtually universal among the population aged 24 and under. Illiteracy rates rise among the elderly, reaching as high as 24.14% for the age group over 75. This reveals an educational deficit stemming from historical difficulties in accessing schooling, particularly in rural contexts. It is concluded that the promise of overcoming absolute illiteracy under Target 9—also reaffirmed in Municipal Education Plans (PMEs)—was not realized by the end of the period, as the gap between potential demand and the declining supply of EJA programs persisted from 2018 onwards. In 2025, Brazil recorded approximately 1.3 million fewer enrollments than in 2015—a 34.5% drop—against a demand representing 7% of the illiterate population in 2022. The public school system in Rio Grande do Sul saw a 64.1% reduction, with a demand level of 3.1%. The municipalities studied also reduced or ceased offering EJA programs, despite a regional demand of 4.6%. The research was unable to locate specific enrollment data for the EJA-literacy stage within official institutions. The study highlights the importance of continuously monitoring educational goals, generating local assessments, and coordinating across different levels of government to ensure that the right to literacy is guaranteed to all citizens, thereby contributing to an education that is more democratic, inclusive, and socially emancipatory.