Learning to Read at 51 - First CLAREC Cinema Session of 2025

Picture by Mateus Ferreira Martins de Jesus - 27 January, 2025

Inspired by the BBC One documentary Jay Blades: Learning to Read at 51, we had a rich transnational conversation today about systemic failures in education and what we can learn from diverse global contexts.

Jay’s journey as an adult with undiagnosed dyslexia and struggles in formal education raised pressing questions:

📌 How do health and education systems in Brazil and England support children with special needs, like dyslexia, to prevent them from falling through the cracks?
📌 Why does Brazil offer state-funded adult education programs while England relies on charities and volunteers? Is it state neglect when children leave formal education illiterate, denied the foundational skills needed to navigate their lives and participate fully in society?
📌 In higher education spaces like Cambridge, how do Latin American scholars navigate a sense of “illiteracy,” whether through language barriers or unfamiliar social norms and rituals?
📌 Why does capitalism undervalue manual labor while education remains tightly bound to the labor market? Can we imagine a world where education values other forms of knowledge, fostering inclusivity and decolonising learning spaces?

📷 Picture by Mateus Ferreira Martins de Jesus.