POLÍTICAS PÚBLICAS E PERMANÊNCIA DOS DISCENTES NOS CURSOS TÉCNICOS INTEGRADOS AO ENSINO MÉDIO DOS INSTITUTOS FEDERAIS

Abstract

The retention and academic success of students enrolled in Integrated Upper Secondary Education have become central themes in the debate on public educational policies, particularly within the field of Professional and Technological Education. This article aims to comparatively analyze how student assistance policies, in both their material and immaterial dimensions, contribute to the retention and success of students in Technical Programs Integrated with Upper Secondary Education at Federal Institutes. This is a qualitative study of a bibliographic and documentary nature, based on the analysis of management reports, institutional regulations, calls for financial aid, course pedagogical projects, and normative documents related to the National Student Assistance Policy covering the period from 2021 to 2025. The results indicate that, although Federal Institutes share common institutional guidelines, the implementation of student assistance presents specificities related to institutional size, geographic location, and the socioeconomic profile of students. Student retention is shown to be associated with the articulation between material benefits, such as food, transportation, and housing assistance, and immaterial actions, such as pedagogical and psychosocial support. It is concluded that the effectiveness of student assistance depends on the integration of these dimensions and on the strengthening of institutional mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation, reaffirming the role of Federal Institutes in promoting equity and the democratization of professional education in Brazil.