Professor Paula Guimarães, from the Institute of Education at the University of Lisbon, evaluated the evolution of public policies in Portugal in the area of education, which shows that, since 2005, more than one million people have enrolled in and successfully completed adult education programs.

The majority (around 635,000) completed basic and secondary education thanks to the Recognition, Validation and Certification of Competencies programs, with another 463,000 opting for Adult Education and Training Courses and more than 10,000 completing Modular Training programs, according to the survey conducted by the researcher.

The overall number hides periods in which demand fell significantly, the researcher warns in statements to Lusa.

These "public policies have not been constant", with periods in which the programs register an increase in students and times in which a setback is noted.

It was between 2007 and 2011 that more adults completed their studies, around 616,000 Portuguese, according to data presented in her article 'Adult Education Policies since 1974: valuing the logic of personal optimization'.

The following year, in 2012, a decrease began to be noticed, which the researcher attributes to the disinvestment in adult education policies associated with the economic crisis that the country went through.

In 2016 a new increase began to be registered and, for example, in the 2021/2022 school year alone, around 53,000 Portuguese adults obtained diplomas from the 9th and 12th grades, with almost nine out of ten (89%) managing to finish secondary school.

Over these two decades, the researcher has also noticed changes in the objectives of the programs: "Sometimes they point to some purposes, sometimes they point to others. Lately they point to training people for human resources, leaving aside other perspectives".

The researcher regrets that the training courses seem to forget the more familiar side of the students and that, in schools, "people only learn things from a professional point of view, when education is not just that".

After returning to school to finally have compulsory schooling, there are often barriers for those who want to continue studying, according to Paula Guimarães.

The researcher warns of the difficulties these students face in continuing their studies in higher education due to the lack of specific access routes.

"Higher Education institutions should make an effort to give these students this possibility and rethink the current access model in these cases", she defended.

Another challenge that the author believes needs to be solved is the "growing formalization and standardization of offers" and the "dependence on funding and the rules of the European Social Fund".

In her study, the professor did not forget immigrants. Paula Guimarães argues that education programs must go beyond the current Portuguese courses, and include other purposes and content that promote individual and social development, civic and political participation, as well as critical reflection.

The conclusion of the study is part of the second volume of the historical series 'Education in Portugal before and after April 25' promoted by Edulog, the 'think tank' for Education of the Belmiro de Azevedo Foundation, now released.

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