Permanência no ensino superior: desafios dos estudantes negros na graduação da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora

Abstract

The implementation of affirmative action policies, especially the Quota Law (Law No. 12,711/2012), has expanded access for Black students to Brazilian higher education. However, the permanence of these students in undergraduate programs still faces significant challenges related to socioeconomic barriers, experiences of exclusion, and the operation of structural racism. In this context, this study investigates how the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF) positions itself regarding the permanence of Black students in undergraduate courses. The research problem guiding the study is to understand how UFJF has developed institutional mechanisms aimed at ensuring the permanence of this population. The general objective is to understand how UFJF can develop institutional mechanisms related to the permanence of Black students in undergraduate programs. The relevance of the study is justified by the persistence of dropout among Black students, reflecting structural inequalities present in Brazilian society, even after the expansion of access to higher education. The research is grounded in the concepts of structural racism (Bersani, 2017), institutional racism (Bento, 2022), equity (Lima; Rodriguez, 2008), dropout (Scalli, 2009), permanence (Santos, 2009), and affirmative action (Gomes, 2001), which highlight the need for specific policies to ensure substantive equality in higher education. Methodologically, the study adopts a qualitative approach, combining document analysis, the application of questionnaires to students, and semi-structured interviews with managers of strategic sectors and Black students at UFJF, as well as the analysis of institutional dropout data provided by the Academic Records Office (CDARA), in compliance with the General Data Protection Law. The results indicate that, although UFJF has initiatives aimed at student permanence, these actions present limitations in terms of institutional articulation and systematic monitoring of the permanence of Black students, with dropout associated with socioeconomic, academic, and institutional factors. Based on this diagnosis, an Educational Action Plan (PAE) was developed, structured around axes focused on improving institutional management, intersectoral articulation, monitoring the permanence of Black students, and strengthening academic and psychosocial support actions guided by the principle of racial equity. It is concluded that expanding access to higher education, although necessary, is insufficient when not accompanied by consistent permanence policies, making it essential to strengthen integrated institutional mechanisms oriented toward racial equity, with the potential to contribute to reducing inequalities in higher education.