THE PROS AND CONS OF ARTICLE 207 OF THE 1988 FEDERAL CONSTITUTION OF BRAZIL

Abstract

Purpose: This article focuses on Article 207 of the 1988 Brazilian Constitution. It then discusses the pros and cons of this article, which gives full rights to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in relation to their teaching and administrative autonomy. The social problem is as follows: Do HEIs (Higher Education Institutions) violate the law or not, as they are protected by Article 207 of the 1988 Brazilian Constitution? The aim of this study is to show how HEIs use Article 207 (BRAZIL, 1988) in their selection processes for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Brazil.
 Method: This investigation used the Experience Report as its method and the qualitative approach as its approach.
 Results and Discussion: The results of this study show that HEIs do violate the law. Unfortunately, there seems to be no supervision by public bodies, except when the MEC (Ministry of Education) or another recognized body visits these institutions to qualify or disqualify their courses at national level and even internationally (institutions other than the MEC). On these occasions, unfortunately, many camouflages are made by these HEIs. Reading this article, it becomes clear that the university autonomy of Article 207 of the 1988 Federal Constitution (BRAZIL, 1988) does not in fact guarantee democracy within the HEIs, especially when it comes to entering and remaining as a student, teacher and/or employee/servant, especially in public HEIs.
 Implications of the Research: This experience report explores the possibility of re-evaluating Article 207 of the Brazilian Constitution of 1988, to the extent that the autonomy guaranteed to Higher Education Institutions in Brazil is more effective, linked to constant inspections by public authorities without prior warning. Thus, it is understood that, although "enslaved" to a higher order represented by the Brazilian government and the legislation in force in Brazil, Brazilian universities will indeed be secular and for everyone.
 Originality/Value: This research and article, although short, raises for discussion a crucial point for guaranteeing democracy in access to higher education and postgraduate studies in Brazil, which is little debated. There is a lot of talk about autonomy within Brazilian universities today. However, there is little questioning of this autonomy and how harmful and lethal it can be to democracy within them.