The relationship between schooling and poverty: an analysis of policies for democratization of access to higher education in Brazil

Abstract

The present article intends to analyze the democratization of access to Higher Education in Brazil as a mechanism for social inclusion of minorities and overcoming poverty. This perspective is born in a neoliberal context in which poverty is related to the absence of formal education and, consequently, professional qualification as a mainspring for access to work and income. As a methodological criterion, the study was carried out from bibliographical sources, where the concepts of poverty as well as the meritocratic logic as opposed to equal opportunities are discussed, as far as politics of democratization of access to higher education after the 1990s To this end, it will be based on John Rawls and his principle of equitable equality of opportunities and will complement the work with the analysis of available data, in the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), MEC (Ministry of Education and Culture) and INEP (National Institute of Studies and Educational Research Anísio Teixeira), where from then on the public that has access to Higher Education will be delimited, as well as the relationship between poverty and schooling. In view of the results, the study will also be based on the discussion of public x private and non-state public duality, since the expansion of private higher education to the detriment of the public has been paramount. It is concluded, however, that despite this dichotomy, the so-called democratization of higher education, has provided low-income population access to higher education, with a clear impact on the level of education of this public.