Distance higher education in Brazil: A comparative analysis in the public policy scenario

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to present a comparative analysis between the reality and the existing processes of public policy, based on the implementation of Distance Higher Education in Brazil (EAD Superior) as a teaching modality. Although established by Law No. 9394/96 of the Ministry of Education (MEC), this modality was only regulated by Decree No. 2,494 of 1998, which in turn was repealed by Decree No. 5,622 of 2005, rescinded by Decree No. 9,057 of 2017, currently in force. However, it is only from Decree No. 5,622 of 2005, in its Article 2, that the scope for all levels and programs is evident, including Higher Education, which has reached much broader proportions of extension than the face-to-face offer. Thus, this study is a bibliographic and documentary research, through several sources, which served as support for the construction of this work. Among the documents on which it was based, it is worth noting, in addition to those mentioned above, the reports of the 2008 and 2019 Higher Education Censuses, among other materials that contributed in an enriching way to the understanding of the arguments raised during the exploratory integrative bibliographic review. The results of the research allowed us to conclude that this modality of education has been providing, in a significant way, the expansion of the supply of vacancies in higher education and, consequently, the democratization of access, especially in private institutions, aiming to fulfill the purpose as a public policy.