Introduction

This article aims to share part of the results of the research project entitled "The real trajectories of students in the first two years of the careers of Guide and Bachelor's Degree in Tourism of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (FHyCS) of the National University of Misiones (UNaM). (2017-2020)", registered in the Secretariat of Research and Graduate Studies of the FHyCS under Code 16/H486-Pl.

As part of an exhaustive study that attempts to explain and determine the variables that make up the educational trajectories [1] and have an impact on the processes of university enrolment dropout, this opportunity seeks to respond to one of the specific objectives set out in the study. This is based on the compilation and analysis of programmes, projects or lines of action focused on student retention for Tourism degree courses and, specifically, for those who began their studies in 2017 and 2018.

In the analysis of the various strategies designed to promote better levels of permanence and retention of university students, as well as the raising of academic performance standards, the various grants for higher education studies are postulated as a key factor,whether these are monetary contributions or concurrent services that improve the objective and practical conditions of students in shaping an appropriate educational pathway.

National policies to guarantee the right to the university system include different scholarships that involve financial stipends or coverage of essential services (accommodation, food, transport, complementation of the training process, etc.),and are a symbol of guaranteeing access to the right to higher education,and whose target population is university students in general, although there is an orientation for those who opt for the so-called priority careers or who are in vacancy in the academic offers in the university system.

In this sense, the Programme of Support to Students for Higher Education (PROGRESAR) was implemented with funds from the Argentinean State and had an impact on the target population (Tourism students of the FHyCS - UNaM),both in achieving their retention and in promoting high academic performance in the accreditation of subjects, a topic that will be addressed more clearly later on.

On the other hand, UNaM itself offers a wide repertoire of grants, some of them generated within the framework of national policies and resources, and others that are its own initiatives that obey objectives and criteria established within the framework of institutional priorities.

The analysis took into consideration the scholarship system of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, designed to favour better conditions for the retention and sustainability of students in their professional training process; the Programme for the Support of Students' Formative Trajectories (PATFEs) and the Journey of Entry to University Life (JIVU), the latter characterised by providing a first approach and support in the initial transition of students' entry into their university studies.

For each case, the degree of incidence and the social representations [2] that are generated - from the perspectives of students and teachers - about its instrumentalisation in the daily life of the institution have been measured.

Materials and methods

According to the characteristics of the subject matter addressed in this research, methodological triangulation [³] was used, using both quantitative and qualitative techniques. Within this framework, both primary and secondary sources of information were used. As primary sources, surveys were conducted among the population under study, made up of incoming students (2017 and 2018 cohorts).

Based on the detailed monitoring of their actual trajectories (taking into account attendance, passing of practical and partial assignments and their corresponding final status obtained in the first year of each degree course for each cohort mentioned), those who had dropped out and those who continued their studies were identified and selected, and for both cases, semi-structured interviews were applied.

At the same time, in-depth interviews were conducted with tenured and assistant lecturers in the first and second years of both degree programmes in order to find out about their perceptions, experiences and representations of the general research topic. It should be clarified that this article does not analyse all the empirical information obtained, but only that related to the programmes or lines of action aimed at retaining enrolment in the degree courses under study.

As secondary sources, information was gathered on the actions carried out by the National University of Misiones in general, as well as by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Department of Tourism itself, with the aim of reducing the drop-out rate in the first years of professional training:

Lists of students in tourism degree courses who have benefited from some kind of aid or scholarship (Student Welfare Secretariat of the FHyCS) [4].

Report on the PROGRESAR National Scholarship

Report on activities carried out at the University Life Entry Days (JIVU) [5].

Report on activities carried out by the Programme of Accompaniment to the Educational Trajectories of Students (PATFEs) that operates in the FHyCS (2016 - 2018).

Results and Discussion

System for guaranteeing Rights or compensating Inequalities

Grants acquire particular characteristics in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, depending on whether they are financial stipends (scholarships and financial aid), or access to priority services (accommodation, canteen, bibliography, among others) and the requirements and conditions of access vary according to the type of resources involved.

Access to this plurality of scholarships or financial aid initially establishes no requirement other than being registered as a student of a specific degree course, although the support of the grant varies according to the type requested. The institutional framework within which the financial resources for all types of financial grants or access to accommodation and canteen services are administered and distributed, is the Secretariat of Student Welfare of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.

From the survey carried out and according to the report of the aforementioned area of the Academic Unit, it can be seen that the scholarships available to students are those that do not involve a monetary transfer, but which focus on the provision of a specific service, namely:

a) Canteen grants: although they imply a significant allocation of the faculty's budget items for their support, they constitute a lunch and dinner service, within the framework of the basic and universal right of access to adequate food.

The indispensable financial resources are provided from specific items in the budgets of the Faculties of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Exact, Chemical and Natural Sciences, as well as the maintenance and upkeep of the infrastructure of the University Canteen.

Although the use of the service and infrastructure is shared, the proportion of students benefiting from this universal service is mostly from the FHySC (65%), which is proportional to the enrolled and active student population (secretary of Student Welfare, personal communication, 21/05/2021) [6].

This service is universal and the only requirement is to be enrolled in one of the faculty's degree courses. In addition, for organisational and financial reasons, a scholarship application is required, specifying which service will be used (lunch/dinner or both).

In the case involving FHyCS Tourism students, 139 students from the 2018 cohort had access to lunch and dinner service in the university canteen, while 205 students from the 2019 cohort had access to this service (see Figure 1). In order to show the impact of the university canteen as a facilitator of student permanence in the faculty, the following is the assessment made by an advanced student, who said:

"... The canteen is a must nowadays, and we've all got used to it. Because it's not about those who live far away or anything, it's about those who are in the faculty and go to the canteen, and it's something that saves us a lot of money...." (Interview with a student who continued her studies, 22/02/2020) [7].

b) Grants for study or notes: this involves a monthly financial subsidy during the academic period, intended to cover the expenses incurred for the purchase of photocopies, teaching notebooks or textbooks. Although it establishes a specific procedure for its access, there is no control and monitoring of the specific use of the grant.

For the 2017 cohort, students surveyed reported "owning" some kind of scholarship or bursary to support their studies; however, this information was unreliable due to students' low awareness of these policies, especially during the first days of university activities.

As a result, in the 2018 survey this question was split in order to obtain information for each scholarship and/or grant applied for or awarded. This means that the 2017 and 2018 data are not comparable. In view of this situation, the information provided by the Student Welfare Secretariat shows the actual awarding of study grants, as can be seen in Figure 1.

c) Health scholarships: with universal criteria, basic medical coverage is offered through SMAUNaM (Medical Assistance Service of the National University of Misiones) to all students who are not beneficiaries of a social security scheme. This free service includes access to medical consultations, clinical studies, dentistry and certain treatments. The requirements for students to access this service are the condition of regularity and negative certification from ANSES National Social Security Administration and IPS (Social Welfare Institute, provincial public sector social welfare).

In 2017, 15 tourism students received this scholarship, while in 2018 there were 26 students, and in 2019 there were 40 students, according to data provided by the Secretariat of Student Welfare of the FHyCS.

d) Hostel grants: this is an accommodation service for students who are residents of localities in the interior of the province. The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences administers two hostels (one for men and one for women) in the centre of the city of Posadas with a total accommodation capacity of 39 students, far less than the number of places required.

Another infrastructure available is the student hostel at the University Campus in the Miguel Lanús neighbourhood, which is administered and maintained by the Rectorate, although its use is available to students from the three academic units of the Posadas Region of the National University of Misiones.

Considering the limited number of places available in hostels, which is far from being proportional to the demand, applications are evaluated according to the particular economic situation, place of origin and academic performance. There is no quantitative data on this scholarship in the Tourism degree programmes in the years analysed.

e) Childcare scholarships: this is for regular students who have children under five years of age, and access is through a childcare centre, with which an agreement has been established for the provision of the service. The scholarships available are between 20 and 25 for each academic year for all FHyCS degree courses.

Although the procedure is done through the Student Welfare Secretariat, it is the scholarship that establishes more requirements, (Regular Student Certificate, Certificate of Passed Subjects, and other documentation duly legalised and authenticated by the corresponding bodies) [8]. No information was obtained for the units analysed.

All applications for financial or service grants, except for canteen grants, are subject to an evaluation process that prioritises socio-economic conditions, the origin of the students and their academic performance, given the limited nature of the grants available, which is inversely proportional to the demand from active and regular students of the different degree courses of the Faculty.

Although they constitute economic subsidies aimed at guaranteeing study, there are monetary contributions that are of an extraordinary nature and their access must be fully justified and oriented towards paying for expenses related to academic activities that are carried out in other scenarios but which are decisive in academic training, such as participation in relevant scientific events in the field of the Humanities and Social Sciences. Likewise, it is proposed to carry out medical studies or treatments that are not covered by the University's Social Welfare Fund.

Access to these resources is subject to the budgetary availabilities of the academic unit, although in the case of participation in relevant scientific events, the Special Fund for Academic Travel was created in 2019, despite the fact that the resources destined to finance student participation are not stable and permanent.

The variation in the requirements set out for each of the grants and services, and the focus on academic performance visibly established for access to the Childcare Scholarships, makes it difficult to establish a relationship between access to certain benefits with the improvement of student retention and permanence, nor can any consideration be given to the impact on improving academic performance, considering that there is no system of monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of the investment.

The statistical data generated by the Student Welfare Secretariat, from the administration of resources and the allocation of benefits, is used as a source to guide specific policies that favour better conditions for the definition of more consistent and appropriate academic trajectories, as well as the effectiveness of these actions in reducing dropout rates in the first years.

With special attention to the specificity of the students of the Bachelor's Degree in Tourism, we have quantitative data regarding the number of scholarships (canteen, health, studies) that they have accessed during the period 2017 - 2019 (see figure N° 1). It was not possible to obtain data on the requirements established for these students to access these subsidies and services, which would allow us to reconstruct the itineraries followed by these beneficiaries, as well as to assess the impact that the provision of these resources has on the permanence in vocational training and the academic improvement of the trajectories.

Figure 1: Incidence of scholarships and grants awarded to FHyCS Tourism Guide and Bachelor in Tourism students, period 2017 - 2019. Source: data provided by the Student Welfare Secretariat of the FHyCS, 2017 - 2019.

The total number of scholarships and grants awarded by the Secretariat of Student Welfare of the FHyCS for the period 2017 - 2019 to students of tourism careers was 634. Based on these data, study grants and canteen and dinner grants have the highest frequencies.

f) Free Student Ticket: In addition to the scholarships discussed, mention should also be made of the free student ticket (BEG), which has a significant impact, as it provides economic relief to university students, users of this service, and is the financial aid to which students can have access, the one with the greatest number of beneficiaries among all the aid discussed in this report. https://beg.misiones.gov.ar/20/10/2021 15:35 [9]

With regard to the Tourism degree courses, at the time of the University Life Inclusion Days (JIVU) survey, the 2017 cohort recorded that 45% of the total number of students in the Guide course had benefited from the BEG. In the Bachelor's Degree, 37% of the total number of students received the same benefit. In 2018, there was an increase in both courses, with 48% of students in the Tourist Guide course and 46% in the Bachelor's course.

Although it does not correspond to scholarships or financial aid provided by the national, provincial or university governments, the aid provided to students by their own family environment has a significant impact, contributing significantly to the retention of enrolment;

in the 2017 cohort more than 50% of the students of the Tourism Guide received it, while 65% of the Bachelor's Degree students received it. The 2018 cohort maintains the percentages in the Tourism Guide and decreases them in the Bachelor's Degree by almost 16% below the previous cohort.

PROGRESAR Scholarship System

The Programme of Support to Students for Higher Education (PROGRESAR), created by the Necessity and Urgency Decree of the National Executive Power N° 84/2014 [10], was instituted with the purpose of promoting the education, training and labour insertion of young people belonging to less favoured or vulnerable economic sectors.

The key assumption of the Programme was the inclusion of young people (between 18 and 24 years old - exceptionally up to 30 years old) without completed secondary education, who did not work, worked informally or had a salary below the minimum living and mobile wage (with family groups in equal conditions).

It is, in this sense, that a set of initiatives aimed at the protection and social promotion of young people appears, based on strategies that stimulate their permanence in the education system through monetary transfers, which would concurrently protect the income of educational support and guarantee better conditions for integration into the future labour market, based on higher education and the improvement of the professional skills of this segment.

With the orientation and characteristics described in the previous paragraph, PROGRESAR was created in 2014 as a specific expression of a policy of educational, labour and social inclusion. Initially, under the jurisdiction of the National Social Security Administration (ANSES), it was established that the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security should carry out actions to support young benefit holders through a specific programme: Young People with More and Better Work, which was defined by a set of training and labour market insertion activities for young people.

Likewise, the Ministry of Social Development had to create conditions and spaces for the care of the children, while the training or vocational training lasted.

The educational institutions involved in the programme as a concrete scope for the educational counterpart to the transferred financial subsidy were vocational training centres, tertiary institutes and universities. The resources used to finance these conditional transfers originated from the National State. Initially, the conditional transfers were for an amount of 900 pesos per month, which was excluded from any contribution and its increase would be given by the progression of living costs. Access to the programme was conditional on being a beneficiary or not of other social benefits or on the variation of the socio-economic situation of the young person or his or her family environment.

The transfer of 80% of the stipulated amount was limited to young students having to prove attendance at a state-run educational institution or training centre by presenting certificates, complemented by health checks no less frequently than three times a year. Attendance should be accompanied by the approval of 20% of the subjects that make up each study plan, once the third year of access to the benefit has elapsed.

Failure to comply with the schooling requirements was an immediate cause for the loss of the right to receive the reserved 20% and the suspension of the benefit. The control of effective attendance at educational establishments or training centres by the benefit holders was part of ANSES's powers in the management of the programme.

In 2016, with the change in the national government, the goals were redefined and the programme was reoriented under the standards of the classic economic subsidies or scholarships. In this sense, and as a reflection of the mutation produced, the name changed to "Becas PROGRESAR" (PROGRESAR Scholarships). The modifications and re-profiling of the programme did not affect so much the characteristics of the subsidy and its specific orientation, but rather the reorientation of the social sector of the population to which it was addressed.

This reorientation was due to the incorporation of requirements and demands, which contrasted with the broad and unrestricted nature of the proposal at the beginning. These modifications were materialised through Decree 90/2018 [11] and complementary resolutions.

The change of goals also implied a change in the conception of the inclusive policy, which

acquired a meritocratic bias, given that it established differentiation in transfers, based on the institutionalisation of economic stimuli as a way of guiding the performance of young people in their educational and professionalisation process.

The decision to segment and increase the transfer amounts was associated with the objective of stimulating efficiency in the transition and exit of young people from the education system, as well as the multiplication of conditionalities, both in terms of academic requirements and the development of skills demanded by the world of employment.

Likewise, the establishment of incentives that differentiated the amounts to be received by beneficiaries was added to the type of studies chosen for the educational consideration. In this sense, priority courses meant a higher amount of monetary transfers.

With these definitions and reorientations, there was also a change of jurisdiction in the administration and management of PROGRESAR, which passed from ANSES to the Ministry of Education and Sports, with its funding no longer coming from the resources of the National Treasury but from the Annual Budget of this educational area. The specific institutional area within the Ministry where the Progresar scholarships would be administered and managed would be the Secretariat of University Policies (Resolution 138/2018) [12].

Although the characteristics of the beneficiary population (young people between 18 and 24 years of age) were maintained, the resolution mentioned in the previous paragraph modified the conditions of access, namely: effective fulfilment of the educational objectives of each year; passing 50% of the subjects taken annually, and this determined access to the transfer in proportion to the number of subjects passed.

This model, based on monetary incentives as a strategy to guarantee efficiency and quality of training, should be added to a prize for academic excellence, which deepened the inequality of conditions and resources available to young people when they enter vocational training.

The Programme's focus on the Scholarship System (Grants or Conditional Cash Transfers) led to the elimination of complementary actions carried out by the Ministry of Labour and Social Development, linked to the development of work experience and other activities described above. This decision was normatively established by the suspension of the terms and validity of articles of the Decree of Necessity and Urgency that created the programme in 2014.

The participation of the Secretariat of University Policies in the administration, management and awarding of Progresar scholarships was affected by problems and delays in the submission of information by the universities, especially with regard to the regularities and accreditation of subjects, which put the sustainability of the benefit at risk.

In the specific case of the implementation of the PROGRESAR scholarships, the National University of Misiones certified the academic performance of the students of the 6 Faculties, via online, through the institutional page of the programme. In the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, through the Academic Direction of Informatics and Communications, they migrated data from the SIU Guaraní (which contains the history of subjects taken and passed), with the academic performance of students who accessed the scholarships.

Despite having the necessary database to establish the relationship between access to the conditional transfers given in the framework of the Progresar Scholarships and the academic performance of the beneficiaries found in the SIU Guaraní System, there are difficulties in establishing an analysis to determine the incidence of this line in the configuration of the students of the Guiding and Bachelor's degrees in Tourism.

The difficulties in accessing information are not attributed to the administration and management of PROGRESAR, but to the decision to reserve this information and shield it from any attempt to request it. This reserve is exposed in the difficulties to establish a reliable and accessible data registry, both in the administration of ANSES and in the management of the Secretariat of University Policies.

It also expresses the peripheral character of the University in the institutionalisation of programmes that stimulate and favour higher university education, even as an administrative instance of registration and certification of trajectories, valuable information not for the sustainability of the programmes and transfers by the beneficiaries, but to measure how the subsidies impact and define the trajectory of the students.

As for data obtained first-hand by this team of researchers with regard to the PROGRESAR grant (which had a set of more rigorous control devices in terms of performance and average obtained), at the time of conducting the surveys of 2017 entrants, the grant had not been awarded and only 2% of entrants - 276 between both degree programmes - stated that they had applied for it.

Meanwhile, with regard to the 2018 cohort, 10% of the students had applied, out of a total of 215 enrolled between Guide and Bachelor in Tourism, a figure that may have increased, taking into account that the deadlines had not expired.

The Programme for Supporting Students' Educational Trajectories

The Programme for the Support of Students' Formative Trajectories - PATFEs - was set up on the initiative of a group of teachers who proposed the need to establish lasting strategies aimed at configuring alternative itineraries that would provide students with the tools to access and remain in university vocational training.

The PATFEs Programme recognises the need to establish strategies aimed at establishing academic and institutional guidelines that result in strengthening the educational trajectories of university students in the different degrees that make up the academic offer of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences [13].

This programme has as its predecessor the Humanities Strengthening Programme (2014), which aimed to improve retention rates.

One year later, the PATFEs was created by a working team made up of teachers who coordinate the accompaniment of new students, based on the voluntary intervention of those peers who are advanced in the training process and who voluntarily collaborate in the tutorial actions aimed at improving academic performance and retention levels in the first years.

The strategy is based on collaborative tutoring, with the understanding that academic interpellations are involved, with specific demands, as well as the socio-affective impact that the integration into a new academic model has on the students in relation to the practices established at the secondary level.

This accompaniment complements the complexity of the integration process, which includes knowledge of the particularities of university institutional life, the socio-educational experiences that students bring with them and the expectations and aspirations of professional training, in a context of convergence of the diversity of individual and social trajectories as a dynamic fabric that defines the academic everyday life.

The communication system both for the dissemination of activities and for calls to students is oriented towards the use of social networks (Facebook, WhatsApp, e-mails) and channelling information through the Departments of the different degrees of the Faculty, in addition to communication through the Extension, Academic and Student Welfare Secretariats.

Among the various lines of action of the PATFEs Programme, are:

University Life Inclusion Days.

Peer tutoring system.

Spaces for integration into the cultural life of the FHyCS.

Although the spirit of the Programme focuses on achieving a good performance in the course and accreditation of subjects - studying better, developing one's own study methods, improving intellectual abilities, enhancing autonomy in the training process, administering and managing free time, etc., in daily practice peer support is informal, based on coexistence among students without adequate institutional infrastructure, using the library reading room or improvising in the corridors as areas to carry out the academic activities required by the various subjects.

The main line of action recognised institutionally for the programme is its intervention in the University Life Inclusion Days (JIVU), mainly activities related to the general admission of students over a period of two weeks (10 meetings). During these days, work is carried out in the form of workshops and group work, guidance booklets are provided and students are asked to complete tasks which are then evaluated qualitatively.

The subjects covered range from reading and writing (parts of a report, text comprehension) to emerging social issues. In addition to the classroom course, there are integration activities such as the ‘Peña’, which takes place in the university canteen, with the participation of students and teachers. This includes games and various artistic presentations. [5]

However, in the period analysed in the project, there was a disarticulation between the actions promoted by the Academic Secretariat, the institutional space where the PATFEs are located and developed, and the Student Welfare Secretariat, which focuses its actions specifically on generating better conditions for the support of students in their educational trajectory.

This disarticulation is evident in the poor communication with the different departments and areas, the low institutional support and the disengagement with regard to joint participation in the University Life Entry Days.

This situation is reflected in the degree of ignorance about the functioning of the PATFEs, as shown in the interviews conducted with teachers in the first years of the tourism degree courses, the programme definitions and especially in the strategies and actions that are deployed, whose aim is to improve retention indicators.

In this regard, the following are excerpts from interviews with tenured and assistant professors on the retention policies implemented in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences:

"I understand that there are institutional policies, at least at this time, to accompany the student and during these days, the Peer Tutors continually invite the children to come" (Interview with tenured teacher, 26/03/2018) [14].

"What I know is the Peer Tutor Programme, but I never visualised it in my first year subjects. I don't know if I have to implement it as a lecturer or if the faculty implements it and how it is implemented". (Interview with tenured lecturer, 22/03/2018) [15].

About the peer tutors I think...it was aimed at certain children who were more advanced, who were like godparents, so to speak, of the new sudents (...) I don't know what it's like now.(Interview with assistant teacher, 19/03/2021) [16].

"What I know is that the Faculty, with the Peer Tutors project, was developing a retention policy with students, guided precisely by more advanced students, I think the Student Centre was involved in coordinating this, and then I think there is the PATFEs project" (Interview with assistant lecturer, 04/05/2021) [17].

From these fragments, it is clear that most of the teachers in the Department of Tourism recognise the institutional figure of the Peer Tutors as a line of action to avoid drop-out, but not the global programme that contains them.

Similarly, it is clear that the PATFEs are not directly linked to the first-year courses in both Tourism degree programmes, and therefore, no concrete achievements are recognised in this respect. Finally, it is noted that the programme has a greater presence during the entrance courses, although its scope throughout the academic year is unknown.

Conclusions

Based on the analysis carried out on the impact of policies to guarantee rights and their repercussions on the processes of dropout and abandonment of university studies in the Tourism degree programmes of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the UNAM, it is worth noting that these policies have a relative weight in terms of enrolment retention.

Depending on the extent of their scope and the conditions imposed by the institution to access certain benefits (mainly the scholarship system) and more isolated actions that have not yet become real policies that take root in the institution.

Thus, of all the grants awarded by the Faculty, those linked to access to the university canteen were the most demanded by students of Tourism degrees, followed by grants for notes and health (shown in Figure 1).

Outside the institutional sphere, parental support continues to be vital to sustain the university studies of new students, and access to the ‘free education ticket’ contributes in the same sense.

With regard to PROGRESAR scholarships, it has been difficult to measure their real impact on students' educational trajectories. This situation has been made explicit due to the institutional shielding that has prevented accurate data on the total number of beneficiaries and their academic performance in the reporting period, considering that the amount received was higher due to higher grades.

Finally, the presence of the PATFEs as a programme aimed at improving the performance of students during the transition between secondary and higher education is still very much dissociated from the different existing internal departments (Departments, Areas) of the Faculty.

Meanwhile, the role of the programme is blurred from the point of view of the teaching staff, who associate it exclusively with their contribution during the general admissions days and the existence of "peer tutors" wandering around the institution without any real clarification of their actions.