The search for quality indigenous higher education in the brazilian Amazon: challenges for inclusion and permanence

Abstract

The struggle of Brazilian indigenous peoples for visibility and access to citizen rights is historic and strengthened at the end of the 20th century with the achievements brought about by the 1988 Federal Constitution. This article is the result of research carried out on one of these actions, developed by the Federal University of Western Pará - Ufopa, and aimed at improving the quality of permanence of these students in undergraduate courses. Ufopa has been developing the Indigenous Basic Training Project - FBI, aimed at strengthening the initial training of students entering the Special Indigenous Selection Process, while valuing the culture and traditional knowledge brought by students. The research aimed to analyze the contribution of the FBI, as an affirmative action policy, in the academic performance of students, throughout their formative path, by comparing the performance in the curricular components of indigenous students who did not attend the FBI, students who partially attended the FBI, and students who fully attended the FBI. With the use of data provided by Ufopa, it was verified as a product of the FBI, the solidification of support networks, the promotion of access to academic life, in addition to the improvement in the academic performance of those students who had access to FBI, to the detriment of those who did not have access, or had partial access to the Project.