Indigenous students in the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul – challenges of access and permanence

Abstract

This article analyses the presence of indigenous students in the Brazilian higher education system based on a study of the Affirmative Action Program of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, UFRGS), in Brazil, running since 2008. This study is based on investigations aiming to understand the processes of access and the actions undertaken to enhance the permanence of indigenous students at the university. With that purpose in mind, we examined policy documents (legislation, records and reports) as well as the interaction and dialogue with indigenous students themselves, inside the university as well as in their own territories. Data from the research show that the indigenous presence in the university’s undergraduate programmes provides the institution with possibilities of self-reflection on its pedagogical practices and social role. However, the study also shows that the permanence of indigenous students still proves to be a great challenge for and inside the university. Dialogue, the construction of emotional bonds with students or an open posture towards the native knowledge are key actions in the practices of interculturalism and have a potential to promote the actual permanence of students coming from indigenous peoples at the UFRGS.