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Free and in public school, EJA awarded the elementary school diploma to those who couldn’t study at the right age; in a single ceremony in the interior of São Paulo, the 36 EJA graduates can now proceed to high school
In a classroom in Araraquara, in the interior of São Paulo, people of all ages shared the same desk and the same graduation. The Youth and Adult Education, EJA, graduated 36 students at once, all with the elementary school certificate that now opens the door to high school, according to Diário do Centro do Mundo, in a report on July 10, 2026.
Among the graduates, one story became the symbol of the class. Mrs. Lourdes Batigalhia, 83 years old, completed EJA on July 8 and, with the elementary school diploma in hand, already plans to continue her studies and attend college, reports Diário do Centro do Mundo.
What is EJA and why it exists
Before Mrs. Lourdes’ story, it’s worth understanding the public policy that made it possible. EJA, Youth and Adult Education, is the Brazilian public school modality designed for those who couldn’t study at the regular age, and it is free.
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The case of Araraquara shows its reach, in this editorial’s reading, duly highlighted. EJA is not private lessons or a paid course: it is the same public system that serves children, adapted for adults and the elderly who work during the day or who have been away from the classroom for years. In the graduating class, teenagers who fell behind in school shared the elementary school diploma with an 83-year-old lady, and all left with the same valid certificate to advance. This is the power of a policy that exists precisely to ensure no one is left out because of age.
It is worth explaining how EJA is organized, still in signaled reading. It is divided into two major stages: one that corresponds to elementary education, from the first years of reading and counting up to the 9th grade, and another equivalent to high school. Those who complete elementary education through EJA, like the class in Araraquara, receive a diploma with the same value as those who finished at the regular age and can enroll in high school the following year. Classes are usually held at night or at flexible times, precisely to fit into the lives of those who work, and enrollment is done in public schools or at the municipal education departments. None of this costs the student a cent.
The turnaround of Dona Lourdes: from household chores to the classroom
The journey that moved Araraquara is rooted in an entire generation of women who could not study. Dona Lourdes decided to return to the classroom after her husband’s death and says that when she was young, the opportunities were different, details the Diário do Centro do Mundo.
Her words summarize an era. “Girls learned to sew, cook, wash, and take care of the husband. When he passed away and I was left alone, I said: now I’m going to pursue education,” she stated, according to the Diário do Centro do Mundo. In observation of this editorial, duly signaled: this phrase carries the history of millions of Brazilian women of her generation, who traded school for marriage because it was expected. EJA is, for many, the second chance that youth did not offer, and Dona Lourdes seized it.
What the diploma changed: “I can read, I can write, I can pronounce”
The concrete gain appears in the simplest and strongest statement of the report. “It changed a lot, really a lot. I learned more, I can read, I can write, I can pronounce. For me, it was wonderful,” said Dona Lourdes, according to the Diário do Centro do Mundo.
The family closely followed the change. Her daughter Eliane Zinato said that her mother was very shaken after her husband’s death but found in studies a way to start over: “She wanted to go back to studying and we supported her, it’s endless happiness”, records the Diário do Centro do Mundo. In signaled reading of this editorial: reading, writing, and “knowing how to pronounce” are things that those who studied at the right age don’t even realize they have. For those who spent a lifetime without it, each of these achievements is a door that opens, from the medicine label to the street name, from the bus sign to the grandchild’s note.
The dream of college and the message from EJA for those who think it’s too late
The story doesn’t end with the elementary school diploma, and that’s where it gets the best hook. Dona Lourdes stated that she fulfilled an old dream, but intends to continue: “My dream was fulfilled, but I will move forward. I will go to college still, God willing”, according to the Diário do Centro do Mundo.
Why does this story matter to the reader, in reading this article, duly highlighted? Because it is, in practice, a public service announcement about a right that many people don’t know they have. EJA exists in practically every Brazilian municipality, is free, and accepts enrollment from any adult who has not completed their studies, from elementary to high school. If an 83-year-old lady completed elementary school and is already talking about college, the message for those who are 30, 40, or 60 and stopped halfway is clear: the door of the public school remains open, and age is not the lock that many people imagine.
And the effect of finishing elementary school goes beyond the paper, still in highlighted observation. The diploma is what unlocks the next step: without completing elementary school, you can’t attend high school, and without high school, you can’t reach the college that Dona Lourdes dreams of. Each stage is the key to the next, and that’s why an EJA ceremony in a small town is worth much more than 36 certificates: it’s worth 36 paths that have become possible again. Tell us in the comments: do you know someone who went back to study as an adult, or who still dreams of finishing their studies?
Watch: how Adult and Youth Education works
For those who want to understand the path that Dona Lourdes took, it’s worth knowing the modality. The City Hall of Florianópolis published a video explaining Adult and Youth Education, the same public education modality that graduated the class in Araraquara, on the same EJA theme addressed by the Diário do Centro do Mundo.
