From standardization to emancipation: rethinking initial literacy from a socio-historical perspective

Abstract

This article reflects on early literacy in Chile, highlighting the profound contradiction between its recognition as a fundamental social right and its implementation under neoliberal and technocratic logics. Rather than being understood as a situated cultural practice, the teaching of reading and writing has been fragmented into mechanical micro-skills focused on decoding, contributing to the alarming phenomenon of functional illiteracy. Furthermore, the text questions the premature schooling in early childhood education, where the pressure to achieve standardized results displaces meaningful and playful childhood experiences. In light of this scenario, it is urgent to shift from a positivist paradigm focused on efficiency toward a socio-historical perspective. By reclaiming its dialogical and historical character, literacy recovers its genuine potential: forming critical subjects capable of understanding and transforming their own reality.