Percursos e perspectivas de jovens egressos da política pública de acolhimento institucional em João Pessoa/PB: caminhos e tropeços para o acesso à universidade

Abstract

This research deals with the trajectories and perspectives of young people who have left institutional care in João Pessoa/PB, focusing on their access to higher education. The analysis is grounded in Postcolonial Studies, considering education as a human right and a tool for the realization of rights, as well as in studies on the protective measure of institutional care. Our attention is directed toward those who were sheltered in João Pessoa/PB-most of whom arrive at these institutions with histories of fragile family environments, academic difficulties, and rights violations. During the care period, the State ensures access to documentation, healthcare, education, and psychosocial support; however, once they leave the service, the same State withdraws its responsibility and ongoing support. Thus, the general objective of this study was to understand the pathways and challenges faced by care leavers in accessing higher education. More specifically, we aimed to characterize the socioeconomic profile of these individuals; analyze their perceptions of their educational trajectories; and examine their views on the barriers to accessing higher education. To this end, a qualitative and exploratory approach was adopted. In the documentary research, protective care measures filed in the 1st Juvenile Court of João Pessoa/PB were analyzed. In the field research, data collection tools included semi-structured interviews and field notes. For data analysis, we used Content Analysis (Bardin, 2016; Vala, 1990), specifically thematic analysis. The results revealed social markers such as race, class, and gender, and showed how histories of reinstitutionalization, school memories, street experiences, among others, contrast with their forms of resistance. Still, the presence of these young people in higher education remains nearly nonexistent, highlighting the urgency of post-care public policies that effectively promote the right to education.