Avaliação do Programa Nacional de Assistência Estudantil: uma análise da trajetória discente do bolsista de iniciação acadêmica na Universidade Federal do Ceará - Campus Fortaleza

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the National Student Assistance Program (PNAES) at the Federal University of Ceará (UFC), specifically through an analysis of the academic trajectory of students benefiting from the Academic Initiation Scholarship (BIA). The specific objectives of the research are to: verify dropout and graduation rates of students assisted by the Academic Initiation Program from 2020 to 2023; investigate the academic journeys of these students, identifying the meanings they attribute to student assistance in the undergraduate process; understand the expansion and democratization of retention conditions from the perspective of students supported by the Academic Initiation Program at UFC; and finally, identify the strengths and weaknesses of the program within the university. This is a qualitative study, conducted through documentary and bibliographic research to provide a theoretical discussion of key concepts related to the analysis. Additionally, field research was essential to achieve the results. Thus, participant observation techniques and semi-structured interviews with former BIA scholarship holders from 2020 to 2023 were employed. The theoretical and methodological framework was based on the Marxist critical-dialectical method, combined with elements of in-depth public policy evaluation methodology, addressing dimensions such as context, content, institutional trajectory, and the temporal and territorial aspects of the program. The results indicated that the Academic Initiation Scholarship Program was effective in fulfilling its goal of ensuring the retention of supported students. Beyond financial aid, the BIA was crucial for including these scholarship holders in research and extension activities, aiding in their initiation into university life and bridging the educational gaps experienced by students from public schools. We conclude that the academic trajectories of BIA scholarship holders from 2020 to 2023 reflect the program's effectiveness from various perspectives. However, PNAES alone will not guarantee equitable access for all, as it is a focused and limited policy within the framework of a capitalist society in a neoliberal context. Nonetheless, for those who benefit, this policy proves necessary and effective for university retention.