A federalização da Universidade da Paraíba e a consolidação do ensino superior no estado (1960-1964)

Abstract

Amidst the heterogeneous landscape of Brazilian higher education, federal public universities play a central role in training qualified professionals and advancing science in the country (Saviani, 2010; Vasconcelos, 2007). The creation of university institutions occurred quite late in the Brazilian context. From the 1940s onward, the expansion of higher education was remarkable, with federalization standing out as the main means of creating public universities in the State. This mechanism significantly contributed to the effective free nature of Brazilian public higher education and was fundamental for the expansion and integration of higher education during the period corresponding to the Third Republic (Cunha, 1983). In the context of Paraíba, federalization was vital for the "salvation, survival, and development" of local higher education. This study aimed to analyze the meanings and implications of the federalization of UFPB between 1960 and 1964, using the press, interviews collected between 1979 and 1980 under the project "History of UFPB/NDHIR," and university statutes as the main historical sources of research. The sources were collected in three collections: Central Archive (UFPB); Nucleus of Regional Historical Documentation and Information (NDIHR/UFPB); and the Historical Archive of the State of Paraíba at the Cultural Space Foundation of Paraíba (FUNESC). The methodological approach incorporated contributions from the Bakhtin Circle, with an emphasis on the concepts of dialogism and ideology. The analyzed results pointed to the centrality of the student movement in the period between 1960 and 1964. The role of university students was essential in mobilizing public and political agents and implementing concrete transformations in the institution. The realization of the federalization process and the greater allocation of resources compared to the period of isolated institutions and the state university were fundamental for the continuity and consolidation of higher education in the state. The analysis of social, discursive, and institutional movements provided a unique reflection on the consolidation of higher education in Paraíba and deepened the understanding of the trajectory of UFPB, an institution that maintains its presence in the current scenario and plays an extremely relevant role for the state of Paraíba. Additionally, the research allowed evaluating common characteristics in the formation of higher education in Brazil during the Third Republic (1945-1964), providing a reflection on the practice of federalization as a fundamental element in the development of Brazilian higher education.