"Muitos estudantes dependem desse auxílio para sobreviver": orçamento público e assistência estudantil como instrumentos para efetivação do direito à educação na UFPA (2012-2022)

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes the relationship between the public budget and student assistance policy as instruments for realizing the human right to higher education at the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), investigating how the allocation and execution of these resources impacted the permanence of vulnerable students between 2012 and 2022, chosen to cover different presidential administrations and economic contexts. The study is based on the premise that ensuring permanence in the Amazon depends on effective assistance policies and adequate funding. The central hypothesis, confirmed by the research, is that budget variations and limitations during the period, influenced by political and economic conjunctures (including fiscal austerity), compromised the policy's capacity to meet growing demand, correlating budget availability and reach. The general objective was to analyze this budget-assistance relationship and its contribution to the right to education and permanence at UFPA. Specific objectives included: contextualizing the right to education, policies, and UFPA; examining the financing of higher education and assistance; investigating UFPA's budget execution (focusing on assistance); and evaluating the institutional assistance policy. The methodology adopted a mixed-methods approach (qualitative-quantitative), exploratory-descriptive, with a hypothetical-deductive method, using bibliographic research (descriptors: Education, Higher Education, Budget, Financing, Human Rights, Student Assistance, Union), documentary research (UFPA/PROAES/SAEST management reports), and analysis of secondary data (budget, statistics), with descriptive statistics. A limitation was the lack of longitudinal data for direct effectiveness analysis (impact on retention/completion), redirecting the evaluation towards scope, investment, volume, and recent indicators (2021-2022). The results indicate that UFPA maintained diversified assistance programs aligned with PNAES, but the investment, despite growing in absolute values for most of the period, was proportionally low (generally <2% of the total budget) and vulnerable to cuts (especially in 2021). The 2021-2022 analysis showed an increase in the volume of actions but a decrease in the reach of unique benefited students (especially financially), despite the positive academic performance of those assisted. It is concluded that budget limitations restricted the potential of the assistance policy. The need for stable and sufficient public funding is pointed out, suggesting a reformulation of the budget model and exploration of complementary mechanisms (partnerships, endowments) to strengthen the sustainability of assistance, without neglecting state responsibility.