The challenge of student permanence in the context of affirmative action: the case of Federal University of Bahia

Abstract

This article analyzes student permanence in the context of affirmative action in higher education, based on the case of Federal University of Bahia. The permanence of students in higher education is an absent theme in the field of research on affirmative action in Brazil. Permanence policy, regarding to student assistance, gained relevance in parallel to the establishment of affirmative action policies in public universities and, in particular, after the enactment of Law 12.711 (BRASIL, 2012). The research was based on documental analysis of actions and programs of the federal government of the national policy of student assistance and UFBA’s institutional documents. Starting with a brief contextualization of affirmative action in Brazil and the emergence of student assistance policies, the research is dedicated to analyzing the case of the Federal University of Bahia, highlighting the institution's affirmative action program and student assistance policies, as well as the students’ socioeconomic profiles. Among the research results, the dimensioning of the impacts of the permanence policy stands out in order to measure the impacts of the permanence policy, therefore contributing to the debate about the importance of student permanence for promotion of social justice.