Assistência estudantil e permanência no ensino superior brasileiro: um estudo sobre o programa de bolsas e auxílios estudantis da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora sob a concepção discente

Abstract

The present study aimed to analyze the impact of the Student Assistance Policy at UFJF on the students assisted by the Student Scholarships and Assistance Program developed by PROAE/UFJF, examining how this policy contributes to student retention from the perspective of its users. To achieve the proposed objective, a bibliographic, documentary, and field research was conducted. PROAE/UFJF was the locus of the qualitative and quantitative field study. In the investigative process, we sought to understand the evolution of Brazilian Student Assistance as a social right policy developed within the scope of public education policy and the institutional trajectory of student assistance at UFJF to the present day. Referenced by authors from social services and education who discuss student assistance and based on the field research conducted, we can infer that student assistance guaranteed under PNAES carries contradictions and limits like other social policies in a capitalist society under neoliberal hegemony. At the same time representing a necessary condition to guarantee the right of students, especially low-income ones, to access, stay, and complete their course in federal public higher education. Low socioeconomic status is the main difficulty pointed out by the assisted students. Despite the limits and challenges imposed by neoliberal adjustment policies, UFJF advances towards the democratization of higher education, enabling the inclusion of working-class subjects at this level of education. The research also demonstrated that the student assistance policy is not perceived by assisted students as a right but rather as financial help from the institution, and that financial aid has a positive impact on retention, continuity of studies, and engagement in extracurricular activities. The provision of immaterial conditions, including attention to physical and mental health, pedagogical, psychological, and social support, was considered indispensable for coping with difficulties experienced in the academic context. It is concluded that PROAE/UFJF, in the current scenario, approaches a broad understanding of student assistance beyond the provision of scholarships and financial aid to students, even whith the challenges of balancing the insufficient resources from PNAES with the increased demand for this policy at the institution. Finally, our understanding is that student assistance should be a commitment of the university as a whole, emphasizing the need to promote the co-participation of academic units in retention actions and encourage student protagonism in the construction and direction of this policy to better serve UFJF students.