HIGHER EDUCATION AND EDUCATIONAL INEQUALITY IN BRAZIL: ELITIST HERITAGE IN A CONTEXT OF EXPANDING ACCESS

Abstract

The investments in the expansion of access to the higher education level constitute a phenomenon observed throughout the world. In the last two decades, Brazil has implemented important policies in this sense. Although the expansion of access, which has reached significant levels in the country, is fundamental for the reduction of educational inequality, the completion of the course by students from historically excluded social groups is a more relevant factor. In this article, based on a documentary study carried out using Enade microdata from the socioeconomic questionnaire answered by a sample of finalist students who took the Enade between 2009 and 2017, we argue that, with the development of programs such as Prouni, Reuni, Fies and Cotas, advances in terms of equality in Brazilian higher education are beginning to be observed, however, this is only the beginning of a process, as elitist legacies still persist in courses that provide more social status, better remuneration and well-positioned.