Institutos Federais de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia e o programa de bolsa permanência: um estudo em torno do impacto da crise humanitária e sanitária da COVID-19 no processo de educação tecnológica no Campus Recife do IFPE

Abstract

This work analyze the impact of the humanitarian and health crisis of COVID-19 on the lives of students benefiting from the Bolsa Permanência Program based on a case study at IFPE – Campus Recife, between the years 2019 and 2022. Methodologically, a quantitative approach was used. Initially, an original database was created, with information obtained from the QAcademic system, together with applications included in the notices for the Campus Permanence Grant program. Subsequently, descriptive statistics were used to analyze data relating to student beneficiaries in relation to students not benefiting from the Program. In addition, information released by the IFPE Success and Permanence Committee was collected from a survey covering the years 2017 to 2023 carried out with students who dropped out of the Institute. In this research, questionnaires were administered via the Google Forms system to those who evaded, with the results being publicly disclosed by IFPE. For our analysis, we used the years 2019 to 2022 and the answers provided by students who dropped out specifically from Campus Recife. Through these samples, the relationship between the quantitative data from the Permanence Grant Program found annually and the information on school dropout throughout the training period, as made available by the Institution, was investigated. Likewise, factors related to school dropout from the Campus were analyzed, highlighting gender, race, income, personal, internal and external factors, and the other consequences of the pandemic during the proposed years. As a result, we found that the COVID-19 pandemic intensified the pre-existing structural challenges in higher education, such as financial precarity, transportation difficulties, and lack of access to technology. Moreover, emotional and psychological issues, including increased stress and anxiety, significantly contributed to student dropout, especially among low-income students. The Bolsa Permanência Program demonstrated potential in reducing these dropout rates, but its effectiveness was limited by obstacles such as irregular payments and inadequate infrastructure. The first two years of the course proved to be the most critical period for dropout, reinforcing the importance of more consistent and flexible support policies to ensure the retention of vulnerable students. In view of the above, we emphasize the importance of investing in student assistance programs, such as the Bolsa Permanência Program, to enhance their effects in combating school and academic dropout, as well as to serve as a sociopedagogical space for human rights education.