Programa Nacional de Assistência Estudantil: análise da implementação na Universidade Federal do Maranhão, curso de Pedagogia, Campus Imperatriz

Abstract

This research has as its object the National Program of Student Assistance (PNAES) at the Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA), in the particularity of the Center of Social Sciences, Health and Technology – CCSST, UFMA Imperatriz – MA. The program is inserted in a contemporary scenario marked by neoliberalism and its interference in public social policies, with emphasis on Education policy. The objective of this research is to analyze the development of the PNAES at UFMA, Imperatriz campus, given its importance for the permanence and conclusion of College Education by students, with a focus on serving Pedagogy students. In this sense, we resorted to historical-dialectical materialism, articulating quantitative-qualitative research. In addition to document analysis, semi-structured interviews were conducted with professionals responsible for implementing the student assistance policy at UFMA, as well as with pedagogy students benefited by the actions related to the PNAES. As a basis for the research, we used several authors such as Saviani (2010); Magalhães (2012; 2013); Kowalski (2012); Betzek (2012); Radaelli (2013), productions from the National Forum of Deans of Community and Student Affairs (FONAPRACE), among others. The results show the challenges for the development of the PNAES in light of the neoliberal situation in which it was instituted. They point out that the student assistance actions developed at UFMA, Imperatriz campus, contribute to the permanence and completion of the course by pedagogy students who are benefited. However, with regard to scholarships and grants, there is a limited service, considering the demand, which denotes the need for greater coverage. As universalist actions, which do not have a selective character, psychological support stands out, which has played a fundamental role in the academic trajectory of students. The research results also express the fragility of the PNAES due to its status as a decree and non-consolidation as a law, due to its still insufficient funding, in addition to the need to reaffirm the importance of maintaining the struggle for social rights in the neoliberal context.