FORMAÇÃO DE PROFESSORES PARA ATUAR NO PROGRAMA NACIONAL DE INTEGRAÇÃO DA EDUCAÇÃO PROFISSIONAL COM A EDUCAÇÃO BÁSICA NA MODALIDADE DE EDUCAÇÃO DE JOVENS E ADULTOS (PROEJA)

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze teacher training within the framework of the National Program for the Integration of Vocational Education with Basic Education in the Youth and Adult Education (PROEJA) modality, highlighting its relevance to the development of an inclusive, critical, and socially grounded education. The research begins with a historical contextualization of Youth and Adult Education (EJA) in Brazil; this form of education has been marked by a history of exclusion, inequality, and the struggle for rights. From the colonial period, with the work of the Jesuits, to the present day, it is evident that educational policies focused on EJA have been, for the most part, inconsistent, welfare-oriented, and insufficient to guarantee students’ access to and retention in school. Throughout this study, we discuss the influence of economic and political concepts on education, particularly Human Capital Theory, which contributed to the consolidation of a technocratic view of education focused on training the workforce for the labor market. This perspective reinforced the historical dualism between technical and general education, condemning the working classes to a fragmented and limited education. In this context, PROEJA emerges as a proposal to overcome this duality by integrating basic education with vocational education, grounded in the principle of work as the educational axis and in the holistic development of the individual. The study also addresses the main challenges of teacher training for working in PROEJA, highlighting the absence of consistent public policies, the lack of specific training for Adult Basic Education (EJA), the devaluation of the teaching profession, and the difficulties in meeting the specific needs of the target population. Adult education students have interrupted educational trajectories, diverse life experiences, and often face adverse socioeconomic conditions, which require teachers to have specialized, sensitive, and context-specific training. The theoretical foundation of this study draws on authors such as Paulo Freire, Miguel Arroyo, Dermeval Saviani, Gaudêncio Frigotto, Marise Ramos, and Dante Henrique Moura, who advocate for an emancipatory, critical education committed to social transformation. In this regard, the importance of a dialogic pedagogical practice is emphasized, one that values students’ knowledge and promotes the collective construction of knowledge. Furthermore, the study highlights the potential of active methodologies and playful practices as pedagogical strategies capable of making the teaching-learning process more dynamic, meaningful, and motivating. From a methodological standpoint, this is a qualitative, bibliographic study that enables a critical analysis of different theoretical frameworks and documents related to the topic. The research allows for an understanding of the complexity of teacher training in Adult and Youth Education (EJA) and identifies pathways for improving educational practices. It is concluded that continuing teacher education is a fundamental element for the consolidation of PROEJA as an effective public policy. It is necessary to invest in training processes that integrate theory and practice, value learner diversity, and promote an integrated and humanistic education. In this way, youth and adult education can contribute to building a more just, democratic, and egalitarian society, guaranteeing the right to education for all.