A DEMOCRATIZAÇÃO DO ENSINO SUPERIOR E A POLÍTICA NACIONAL DE ASSISTÊNCIA ESTUDANTIL: UM ESTUDO SOBRE OS BENEFICIÁRIOS DO AUXÍLIO PERMANÊNCIA NA UFMS CÂMPUS DO PANTANAL

Abstract

ABSTRACT

This dissertation analyzes the results of a study carried out within the Master’s Program in Education of the Graduate Program in Education at the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS), Pantanal Campus (CPAN), in the Research Line “Gender and Sexualities, Culture, Education, and Health.” The study is situated in the field of the Sociology of Education, as it seeks to examine the relationship between the democratization of Higher Education and the National Student Assistance Policy (PNAES), established through Decree No. 7,234/2010. The general objective of this research is to identify, within public policies, the means provided by the government to ensure the permanence of students from working-class backgrounds in public Higher Education, as well as the measures adopted by federal agencies to reduce the adversities experienced by students during their undergraduate studies. The specific objective focuses on the perceptions developed by sixteen students who received the Permanence Aid regarding their experience of pursuing Higher Education under conditions of socioeconomic vulnerability, as well as the strategies they create to overcome obstacles. These students live in Corumbá, Mato Grosso do Sul (MS), and during the 2023–2024 biennium were enrolled in undergraduate programs at UFMS, CPAN. More broadly, the research addresses the meanings of Higher Education for low-income students who receive the Permanence Aid and offers a reflection on the relationships these students establish with state initiatives and with the university itself. This is a qualitative study, whose methodology consists of four stages: (i) a literature review on the topic; (ii) the identification of CPAN students who fit the condition of vulnerability; (iii) the application of a semi-structured questionnaire to collect information from participants; and (iv) the use of Pedagogical Letters to capture the perceptions of the beneficiaries. Theoretically, the study dialogues with the Sociology of Education and draws on the Freirean conception of education as a dialogical experience grounded in listening and valuing students’ knowledge. From the articulation between empirical data collection and theoretical interpretation, the research reflects on the intentions and outcomes of the Permanence Aid within the broader context of PNAES.

Keywords: Higher Education; Student Assistance; Permanence Aid; Sociology of Education; democratization of Higher Education.