Education and ethnic-racial relations

Abstract

This work presents a historical survey (albeit brief) of Brazilian academic conditions, aiming to list the main causes of low student retention in educational institutions and the low permanence of Afro-descendant people in these institutions. We begin by demonstrating how the academic training of the peoples of the New World began (Jesuit Schools), describe Preto Cosme, a former slave who founded a school to educate quilombola blacks, and describe some achievements of the Black Movement, which were extremely important for the recognition and dissemination of Afro-Brazilian history and culture throughout the country. To support the research, publications (websites, magazines, and articles) with relevant information were used, demonstrating that the main cause of school dropout is linked to supplementary income, especially for black and brown people, and teenage pregnancy. We used data from the 2023 PNAD-Continuada survey, which compared the last five years (excluding 2020 and 2021 – COVID-19), and showed that Black or mixed-race people, mainly born in the Northeast region of Brazil, are the most affected by the late government action and the poor choices of the Portuguese Crown regarding the education of the colonies. We identified some measures proposed by Brazilian governments since the Lei do Boi (First Quota Law), the Educational Credit Program (Creduc), which was replaced by Fies (Fies Social), the Quota Law, ProUni, and more recently the Pé-de-Meia (High School) and the Pé-de-Meia Licenciatura, the latter of which required future research to account for their impact on student retention in secondary and higher education institutions. With this, we conclude that poor administration can cause long-term consequences, and that governmental and personal efforts will be necessary to reverse these problems.