Políticas de acesso à informação na educação superior: transparência na relação entre a Universidade Federal da Paraíba e as fundações de apoio (2018-2024)

Abstract

In the relationship between government authorities and citizens, transparency is necessary to legitimize democratic policies by promoting access to information. However, for society to participate effectively, it is important to provide public data in an open, understandable, and useful manner. Otherwise, the potential of such information may be diminished, limiting the reach of public policies. In Brazil’s Federal Institutions of Higher Education (IFES), transparency in interactions with Support Foundations (FAs) requires attention, given the public-private dynamic and the informational imbalance that arises from delegated responsibilities. Within this context, the research analyzed the compliance with active transparency in the relationship between the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB) and its Support Foundations, in the period between 2018 and 2024, in accordance with the requirements of the Access to Information Law and related regulations. An applied methodology was adopted, which is exploratory and descriptive in terms of objectives, and involved a case study and documentary research in terms of methods. Institutional reports, documents from the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) and the Office of the Comptroller General (CGU), as well as data available on UFPB’s website, were examined. An observation guide based on TCU Ruling No. 1.178/2018 was employed, along with a research protocol aligned with the Access to Information Law (LAI), covering publicity, comprehensibility, and usefulness. The results indicate that institutional transparency mainly addresses the demands of external oversight bodies, showing a gradual improvement in certain indicators. However, there is little emphasis on the institution’s relationships with Support Foundations, given that the level of disclosed information remained low. This is partly due to the absence of a centralized system and a structured approach to defining the roles of both internal and external agents. It was found that adherence to the 18 (eighteen) active transparency requirements did not reach a satisfactory average, suggesting that, despite the improvements introduced through a dedicated webpage to monitor these partnerships, disclosure alone does not guarantee effective access to information. Finally, the study presents suggestions to enhance transparency and reduce the informational imbalance between the institution under review and the supporting foundations.