“PÉ-DE-MEIA” DEGREE PROGRAM: POLITICAL PERSPECTIVES FOR HUMAN FORMATION

PERSPECTIVAS POLÍTICAS PARA FORMAÇÃO HUMANA

Abstract

The article examines the Pé-de-Meia Licenciaturas Program (PPML), a Brazilian government initiative that aims to attract students to degree courses through financial support, linking it to a historical analysis of compensatory educational policies. From a critical perspective, the text explores the ambiguities of the program: its potential to reduce dropout rates and guarantee minimum study conditions contrasts with the persistence of structural problems, such as the devaluation of salaries and the precariousness of public networks. The discussion goes on to discuss compensatory policies, which places the PPML in the legacy of fragmented actions since the 1990s, and the logic of Human Formation, which questions whether the program will transcend instrumental logic by prioritizing critical disciplines. There is also a need to integrate the PPML with policies for expanding vacancies, career plans and valuing teachers, as has been pointed out. The conclusion is that although the program has positive aspects, such as linking incentives to work in basic education, its success will depend on how it is operationalized and articulated with systemic changes, requiring rigorous monitoring of its implementation.