Democratização do ensino superior: o que nos diz o caso de Santana de Mangueira – PB?

Abstract

This paper discusses the phenomenon of expansion/democratization of Brazilian higher education between 2003 and 2010. The objective is to understand the consequences of this phenomenon in the municipality of Santana de Mangueira-PB. This is an eminently qualitative research, with simultaneous use of quantitative resources. The precepts of the case study were applied to deepen the understanding of access to education in the researched region. Higher education is considered democratic, whose access opportunities are equal for all and the university population adequately portrays the diversity of society. An analysis of the current context of higher education, the reasons for democratizing it, its origins and elitist character, the university reform of 1968 and the consequences of public policies for democratization of access, mainly of the REUNI, of the PROUNI and the FIES. To answer the research problem, we discussed the educational data of the municipality of Santana de Mangueira-PB from the last two demographic censuses, 2000 and 2010. Although in an unfavorable context, marked by poverty, social inequality and low levels of schooling, democratisation policies have significantly increased access to higher education. In relation to people aged 25 years or over, the level of education of the population progressed from only 3 people with more than 15 years of study, in the year 2000, for expressive 101 people with complete superior, in 2010.