O direito à educação e as ações afirmativas no ensino superior: o acesso e a permanência dos discentes cotistas no Campus Pontal da Universidade Federal de Uberlândia

Abstract

This thesis, linked to the research line State, Policy and Education Management and to the Laboratory of Policies and Management in Education (LAPGE) of the Graduate Program in Education (PPGED) at the Faculty of Education (Faced) of the Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU), investigated the permanence of undergraduate students admitted to the Campus Pontal/UFU through the quota system established by Law nº. 12.711/2012 (Quotas Law). The research was guided by the following question: In what ways have the public policies for permanence in higher education, effectively implemented at the Campus Pontal/UFU, contributed to reducing dropout rates among quota students since the approval of the Quotas Law? The general objective was to analyze the implementation of affirmative policies at the Campus Pontal/UFU following the approval of the Law of Quotas, focusing on their relationship with the right to education and their contribution to the permanence and completion of undergraduate courses by quota students. The specific objectives were: contextualize the implementation of affirmative policies in Brazil; map the legal framework of the right to education and affirmative action in higher education; analyze UFU’s institutional normative documents related to the access and retention of quota students; identify how affirmative policies are materialized in the reality of the Campus Pontal. It is argued that public permanence policies aimed at quota students play a crucial role in reducing educational inequalities and dropout rates by providing both material and symbolic support that promotes the continuity of studies. However, their effectiveness depends on the articulation between access, permanence, and academic success—interdependent dimensions of the democratization of higher education. The research, based on a qualitative approach and grounded in historical-dialectical materialism, was developed as a case study at the Pontal Campus of UFU, employing bibliographical, documentary, exploratory, and field research methods. Semi-structured questionnaires were applied to 30 (thirty) quota students, representing 10% of the total quota seats, ensuring representativeness. In addition, structured interviews were conducted with 11 (eleven) course coordinators. The analysis of empirical data, guided by content analysis techniques, sought to critically understand the permanence policies and their impacts on the academic trajectories of quota students. The results showed that the consolidation of affirmative actions and the strengthening of permanence policies significantly contributed to reducing dropout rates, particularly after the expansion of socioeconomic assistance and the reinforcement of student support programs from 2016 onward.