This paper analyzes the relationship between the old age and illiteracy in the Northeastern of Brazil, especially in two areas: the semi-arid region of Rio Grande do Norte and the area of southern Bahia cocoa. According to the IBGE 2010 census, in the Northeast there are higher rates of illiteracy in the country. The problem of illiteracy affects mainly older people, black and brown, female and living in rural areas. The relationship between landowners and illiteracy partly explains the higher incidence of this problem in the Northeast, where there is greater concentration of income and also the rural property. The absence in Brazil of education policies directed towards old age and illiteracy can be observed in the absence specific laws, such as Brazilian Law of Education and the old age and Statutes of the Elderly. Finally, the understanding of this issue from the perspective of sociology is a theoretical contribution relevant to educational studies.
Old age; Illiteracy; Adult Education; Educational Policy; Northeast
