"Beiradeiros do Rio Doce: a evasão de estudantes pretos e indígenas do Instituto Federal do Espírito Santo – IFES (2015-2019)"

Abstract

This research was developed within the Graduate Program in Education at the Federal University of Uberlândia (PPGED/UFU), in the research line of Educational Knowledge and Practices. The setting was the Federal Institute of Espírito Santo (Ifes). The central question of this research is the identification and analysis of the factors related to the dropout of Black, Indigenous, Original Peoples, and Traditional Beiradeiras communities students from the Rio Doce region at the Federal Institute of Espírito Santo (Ifes), during the period from 2015 to 2019. The temporal scope for the analysis is justified by the strategic relevance of the period for the consolidation and evaluation of policies within the Federal Network of Professional, Scientific and Technological Education (RFEPCT), a period that coincides with the creation and first years of operation of the Nilo Peçanha Platform (PNP), established in 2016. The general objective of the research is to analyze the dropout from courses at the Ifes campus located in cities along the Rio Doce, by Black, Indigenous, Original Peoples, and traditional Beiradeiras communities students from the Middle Rio Doce, between the years 2015 and 2019. The specific objectives were defined as: 1. To reflect on the theoretical concepts that permeated the research discussion: dropout, race, racism, decoloniality; 2. To present the research setting and subjects, the Ifes, particularly the campi of Itapina, Aracruz, and Linhares, seeking to analyze institutional, economic, social, pedagogical, and curricular actions to welcome and support these students from the periods in which they left the courses; 3. To identify the Black, Original Peoples, and traditional Beiradeiras communities students from the Middle Rio Doce, enrolled in the campi of Itapina, Aracruz, and Linhares, as well as to analyze, through the voices of the young dropouts, their stories, their experience at Ifes, and the reasons that led them to drop out. As for the methodology, a qualitative approach was chosen, resorting to the following steps: collection and analysis of enrollment and dropout data from institutional platforms; collection of specific information through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The analysis of all collected data was carried out from the perspective of decolonial studies, seeking a critical understanding of the power relations and inequalities present in the educational context. It was concluded that dropout is exacerbated by racial issues, as the barriers to entry and, especially, retention for Black and Indigenous youth are enormous. The research indicates that the institution was not prepared to offer adequate pedagogical and psychological support to deal with the diversity and specificities of these students, who arrive with an "educational gap" resulting from a deficient prior education. Dropout, therefore, is not a failure of the student, but a symptom of a system that fails to be truly inclusive and equitable, despite democratizing access, and which needs to rethink its practices to ensure that education is a tool for liberation, and not for exclusion. Keywords: Beiradeiros; Dropout. Original Peoples. Traditional Communities. Black