Cinderella and the search for the missing shoe: Latin American adult education policy and practice during the 1990s

Abstract

This article examines the main trends in adult education policy in Latin America during the 1990s. During this period, in spite of the commitments made by national governments in Jomtien in 1990 and ratified in Dakar in 2000, adult education in Latin America has been marginalized and neglected, both in terms of public policy and public funding. This paper raises different hypotheses in order to explain this dynamic and the variety of strategies that have been proposed to garner support for the field. Adult education in Latin America is now at a crossroads, and the collective search for its mission, purpose and identity is as urgent as ever. In discussing the revitalization of adult education in Latin America, the debates undertaken in the region by governmental and non-governmental organizations in the preparation for and in the follow-up to the 1997 Hamburg International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA V) are described. In the final section, after summarizing the main issues and achievements, the article outlines several challenges for the future.