A insuficiência das ações afirmativas no ensino superior brasileiro: o desafio da permanência estudantil à luz da igualdade material

Abstract

Affirmative actions in Brazilian higher education constitute instruments for the realization of the principle of substantive equality by seeking to address historical inequalities and expand university access for socially marginalized groups. However, the democratization of admission alone does not ensure the effective inclusion of beneficiary students, making it necessary to analyze student retention policies. In this context, this research aims to analyze, in light of substantive equality, the limits of affirmative actions for access to Brazilian higher education and the importance of retention conditions for the effectiveness of the right to education. The investigation adopts a qualitative approach, based on bibliographic review and documentary analysis. The study dialogues with Almeida (2019), regarding structural racism; Piovesan (2025) and Barroso (2022), concerning substantive equality and affirmative actions; and Bourdieu; Passeron (2015), regarding the reproduction of educational inequalities. The research demonstrates that racial quotas represent an important advance in the democratization of higher education, especially after their normative consolidation and constitutional recognition. However, it highlights that access must be associated with public policies capable of addressing economic, academic, and symbolic barriers that hinder student retention. It concludes that the full realization of substantive equality requires not only opening universities to historically excluded groups, but also ensuring concrete conditions for the completion of academic trajectories.