Os 20 Anos do Artigo 170 de Santa Catarina – precursor das Políticas de Ação Afirmativa na Educação Superior brasileira

In recent years, much of the debate about the democratization of higher education in Brazil has been based on the redistributive logic of the Quota System, which seeks to support the most vulnerable segments of society in their access to academic education, in order to reduce social inequality. From this perspective, the State is responsible for going beyond access, also supporting permanence. This article discusses the history of the one who was the precursor of Brazilian government programs to help to stay in higher education institutions - the Article 170 scholarship program of the Constitution of the State of Santa Catarina. Created in 1989, it has just celebrated its 20th anniversary as an important initiative, like other affirmative action policies in the country, to address inequality in Brazilian society regarding access and permanence in higher education. The article also considers the State’s Constitution’s Article 171 Scholarship Program, implemented in 2008, attentive to students in socially vulnerable situations.