Brazil

(Re.ViCa version by Paul Bacsich, Ilse Op de Beeck, Sandis Zuciks et al)

Put in merged template and prepared for external consultants by Paul Bacsich, Sero. Massive update in 2011 by Andreia Inamorato dos Santos, consultant to Sero.

For entities in Brazil see Category:Brazil.

For OER in Brazil see Brazil/OER.

Partners and experts in Brazil

Partners

There are no project partners situated in Brazil.

Experts

Prof. Fred Litto is member of the Re.ViCa International Advisory Committee and now of the VISCED International Advisory Committee.

Brazil in a nutshell

Brazil (Portuguese: Brasil), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: República Federativa do Brasil), is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Brazil has a coastline of over 7,491 kilometers. It is bordered on the north by Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana and the overseas department of French Guiana; on the northwest by Colombia; on the west by Bolivia and Peru; on the southwest by Argentina and Paraguay and on the south by Uruguay. Numerous archipelagos are part of the Brazilian territory, such as Fernando de Noronha, Rocas Atoll, Saint Peter and Paul Rocks, and Trindade and Martim Vaz.

Brazil was a colony of Portugal from the landing of Pedro Álvares Cabral in 1500 until its independence in 1822. Initially independent as the Brazilian Empire, the country has been a republic since 1889, although the bicameral legislature; now called Congress, dates back to 1824, when the first constitution was ratified. Its current Constitution defines Brazil as a Federal Republic. The Federation is formed by the union of the Federal District, the 26 States, and the 5,564 Municipalities.

Brazil is the world's tenth largest economy at market exchange rates and the ninth largest in purchasing power. Economic reforms have given the country new international projection. It is a founding member of the United Nations and the Union of South American Nations. A predominantly Roman Catholic, Portuguese-speaking, and multiethnic society, Brazil is also home to a diversity of wildlife, natural environments, and extensive natural resources in a variety of protected habitats.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil

States of Brazil

Brazil has 26 states and one federal district, which is the capital city, Brasilia (Distrito Federal, DF). The states are: Amazonas, Pará, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Bahia, Mato Grosso do Sul, Goiás, Maranhão, Rio Grande do Sul, Tocantins, Piauí, São Paulo, Rondônia, Roraima, Paraná, Acre, Ceará, Amapá, Pernambuco, Santa Catarina, Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, Alagoas and Sergipe.

Education in Brazil

Education in Brazil is regulated by the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Education, which defines the guiding principles for the organization of educational programs. Local governments are responsible for establishing state and educational programs following the guidelines and using the funding supplied by the Federal Government.

The Federal Constitution and the 1996 General Law of Education in Brazil(LDB) determine how the Federal Government, States, Federal District, and Municipalities manage and organize their respective education systems. Each of these public educational systems is responsible for their own maintenance, which manages funds as well as mechanisms and sources for financial resources. The Constitution reserves 25% of state and municipal taxes and 18% of federal taxes for education.

The 1988 Brazilian Constitution states that education is a right for all, a duty of the State and of the family, and is to be promoted with the collaboration of society, with the objective of

• fully developing integral development of the human personality and his/her participation in the work towards common welfare;
• preparing individuals and society to master scientific and technological resources which will allow the use existing possibilities to common welfare;
• protecting, disseminating and expanding cultural heritage;
• condemning any unequal treatment resulting from philosophical, political or religious belief, as well as any social classes or racial prejudices.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Brazil

Education is divided into three levels, with several grades in each division. Fundamental education (the first educational level) is free for everyone (including adults), and mandatory for children between the ages of 6-14. Secondary education is also free, but it is not mandatory. Higher education (including graduate degrees) is free at public universities.

Schools in Brazil

Education is divided into Pre-School, Basic and Higher Education. Basic education is divided into Fundamental and Secondary (ensino médio) levels and higher education corresponds to undergraduate and graduate degrees. Fundamental education is free for everyone (including adults) and mandatory for children between the ages of 6-14. Secondary education is also free, but it is not mandatory. Higher education is only free at public universities, but these correspond to less than 25% of the available places. Most higher education in Brazil is offered by the private sector.

Pre-School education (Educação Infantil)

Pre-School education is entirely optional, and exists to aid in the development of children under 6. It aims to assist in all areas of child development, including motor skills, cognitive skills, and social skills while providing fertile ground for the later acquisition of knowledge and learning. There are day nurseries for children under 2, kindergartens for 2-3 year olds, and preschools for children 4 and up.

Basic Education (Fundamental and Secondary Education)

Fundamental Education (Ensino Fundamental)

Fundamental Education is mandatory for children ages 6-14. There are 9 "years" (as opposed to the former 8 "grades"). The current "First Year" broadly corresponds to the former Pre-School last year of private institutions, and its aim is to achieve literacy. Generally speaking, the only prerequisite for enrolling in first year is that a child should be 6 years old, but some educational systems allow children younger than 6 to enroll in first year (as long as they turn 6 during the first academic semester). Older students who, for whatever reason have not completed their fundamental education are allowed to attend, though those over 18 are separated from the younger children.

The Federal Council of Education (Conselho Federal de Educação) sets a core curriculum consisting of Portuguese, History, Geography, Science, Mathematics, Arts and Physical Education (for years 2, 3, 4 and 5). As for years 6, 7, 8 and 9, one or two foreign languages are also compulsory (usually English and also Spanish).

Each educational system supplements this core curriculum with a diversified curriculum defined by the needs of the region and the abilities of individual students.

Fundamental Education is divided in two stages, called Ensino Fundamental I (years 1-5) and Ensino Fundamental II (years 6-9). During Ensino Fundamental I each group of students is usually assisted by a single teacher. As for Ensino Fundamental II, there are as many teachers as subjects.

The length of the school year is set at at least 200 days by the National Education Bases and Guidelines Law (Lei de Diretrizes e Bases da Educação). Fundamental schools must provide students with at least 800 hours of activities per year. The actual school calendar is set by individual schools which, in rural areas, often organize their calendar by sowing and harvesting seasons.

Secondary Education (Ensino Médio)

Secondary education normally takes three years. The minimum is 2200 hours of coursework over three years, but there are plans under discussion to increase that to 3000 hours, by adding 200 hours every year. Students are required to finish their ‘Fundamental’ education before they are allowed to enroll in the ‘Ensino Médio’. The secondary education core curriculum comprises Portuguese (including Portuguese language, Brazilian and Portuguese literatures), foreign language (currently: usually English, also Spanish and very rarely French), History, Geography, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Recently Philosophy and Sociology, which were banned during the military dictatorship (1964-1985), became compulsory again.

It is possible to take professional training along with mainstream Secondary education. Such training usually lasts two years and can be taken during the second and third years of Secondary education. Some Secondary schools provide professional training in specific areas, such as Agriculture; such schools usually have a greater amount of instruction hours per week and the complete course can last up to four years.

Since 2004, technical and vocational/professional education in Brazil has benefited from considerably more attention from the government, as it has been regarded as vital for qualifying the workforce. Programs such as PRONATEC (Programa Nacional de Acesso ao Ensino Técnico e ao Emprego – National Program of Access to Technical Education and Employment) have been launched by the federal government to widen access to professional education to Brazilians by means of a series of sub-programmes and actions.

There are six programmes in PRONATEC, but the one that is relevant here is E-Tec. This is an important sub-programme in the context of virtual schools - E-Tec Brasil (Programa Escola Técnica Aberta do Brasil – Open Technical School of Brazil Programme), launched in 2007 with courses officially starting in March 2008. Its objective is to offer technical courses in the distance education (DE) mode, articulated with the schools of the federal and state network.

In Brazil, legislation related to distance education requires that DE courses assess students on a face-to-face basis. Therefore regional centres need to be set up and equipped with libraries and computer labs. In order to enable this, the Brazilian Ministry of Education (MEC) provides funding for equipment, tutoring, course management and production.

National Basic Education Assessment Systems: Prova Brasil, SAEB and IDEB

Both Prova Brasil and the National System of Basic Education Assessment (SAEB – Sistema Nacional de Avaliação da Educação Básica) are large-scale diagnostic assessment systems developed by INEP (National Institute of Studies and Educational Research Anisio Teixeira – INEP/MEC). Their goal is to assess the quality of the teaching offered in the Brazilian educational system by using standardized measuring tests and socio-economic surveys. In the tests applied to students of the fifth and ninth years of the fundamental cycle and of the third year of secondary education (ensino medio) the students respond to questions of Portuguese language (focusing on reading skills) and mathematics (focusing on problem solving). In the socio-economic survey, information is given in relation to contextual factors that may affect their performance.

Teachers and headteachers also respond to demographic, professional profile and work condition surveys. SAEB is an assessment by sample, in that only a selection of students participate in it; a random sample of students. However, Prova Brasil is applied to all the students of the years mentioned above (fifth and ninth), who are studying in the rural and urban schools systems. Prova Brasil makes the results available per school, municipality and state, whilst SAEB does not.

The results of SAEB and Prova Brasil are used as guidance to MEC and State and Municipal Secretariats to define the actions that will improve the quality of education in the country and reduce the inequalities. These actions aim to promote the correction of distortions in the system previously identified, with the objective of redirecting technical and financial resources to priority areas.

The average obtained in the results of these tests is deployed to assist the calculation of the IDEB (Basic Education Development Index). These results are available throughout society, so that the population may follow the development of the Brazilian education system, and check the performance of each individual school through the Prova Brasil results.

Brazil’s Index of Basic Education Quality - IDEB

"The Brazilian Ministry of Education introduced in 2007 an innovative tool for systematic monitoring of basic education progress in every school, municipality, state (and federal district) and region of the country. The innovation lies in the IDEB index’ combined measure of student learning results and student flows (grade progression, repetition, graduation, etc.). Because the index is the product of both test scores and pass rates, it discourages schools from automatic promotion of children who are not learning. However, it also discourages schools from holding children back in order to boost learning scores. Avoiding incentives for grade retention is important in Brazil, with average repetition rates in primary school approximately 20%, the highest in Latin America.

The IDEB builds on the progress Brazil has made in scaling up its national student assessment system to a technically well-regarded learning assessment that applied every two years to all 4th and 8th grade students in math and Portuguese -- called the Prova Brasil. The IDEB measure combines Prova Brasil test results with administrative data on school enrollments, repetition and grade promotion. The raw scale of the exams ranges from 0 to 500, and the standardized scale ranges between 0 and 10. Pass rates are calculated based on the information reported by each school to the National School Census, applied annually by the Ministry of Education.

The IDEB has become rapidly accepted in Brazil as the leading metric for gauging the relative performance of both individual schools and municipal and state systems. Biannual IDEB results are widely reported in the media and the federal government has established targets for improvement of primary and secondary education results for every one of Brazil’s 26 state and federal district, and 5,564 municipal school systems. Within states and municipalities, IDEB reveals the relative performance of different schools. At the secondary school level, the index is based on SAEB test results (which is applied in a representative sample of schools in each state and the federal district) and student flow data. Thus, it generates state-level, but not school or municipal level scores".

Source: Reynaldo Fernandes (2007), INEP (2008), quoted in ([World Bank Report 2010], p. 19

ENEM – National Exam of Secondary Education (Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio)

The Exam was created in 1998 and its objective is to assess the performance of each student at the end of the basic education system. Students who are coming to the end of the cycle or who have finished the cycle in previous years can take part in the assessment.

ENEM is used as a criterion for university entry; it is a prerequisite for those students who want to have a studentship in the programme known as ProUNi (University for All – Universidade para Todos) – a government-supported programme which offers grants for students. Besides that, many other private universities use ENEM as a criterion in the selection of students for places in their undergraduate courses.

The main objective of ENEM is to evaluate the performance of the student when they finish basic education in order to assess whether they have the basic competencies to be a fully engaged citizen. ENEM has also been used as a tool to increasingly democratize the access to higher education in Brazil and as a complementary factor in the curriculum of individuals when searching for jobs.

New Initiatives

The Education Ministry has created a new exam (Exame Nacional de Ingresso na Carreira Docente) for all new teacher candidates.

Pernambuco’s “Escolas de Referência”. In 2007, Pernambuco partnered with a set of companies committed to improving education to convert 10 existing secondary schools in to a new model of full-day schools with high quality instruction; by 2010 the program had expanded to 60 full-time and 100 half-day secondary schools. Phillips, Odebrecht, ABN Amro/ Real Bank and Hidreletric Company of São Francisco (Chesf) created the ICE (Insituto de Co-responsabilidade pela Educação) in Pernambuco.

Public-Private Partnerships, e.g. Institutions such as Unibanco Institute, Pão de Açúcar group are investing in secondary public education in partnership with States.

Minas Gerais PEP (Programa do Ensino Profissionalizante). The largest-scale and most promising approach to date is Minas Gerais’ innovative voucher program, called PEP. In an effort to diversify and expand the technical and vocational training options for youths and young adults, the state in 2007 launched the secondary-level voucher.

Pace of change: The Brazilian “Education Action Lab”

The education landscape is changing in Brazil. Profound reforms of the basic education system over the past 15 years at the federal level have put in place the institutional framework for a higher-performing basic education system. An impressive number of governors and mayors have made education reform a political priority. Dynamic secretaries of education are moving ahead with creative programs and bold reforms that were unthinkable two decades ago. Education policymakers are beginning to support rigorous impact evaluations to establish which programs really work. Leading examples of promising reforms and the evidence on their impact are highlighted throughout this report. ([World Bank Report 2010], p.21)

Brazil’s highly decentralized basic education framework – with 26 states, a federal district, and over 5,500 municipal education systems – makes the country a natural “innovation lab” for education policy. Thousands of promising new initiatives are launched each year in public systems. A significant number of private foundations are active in program development and providing implementation support to states, the federal district, and municipalities across the country.

Tens of thousands of creative new education policies and programs are being tried out at this moment across Brazil by dynamic, results-oriented secretaries of education. There are very few countries in the world with the scale, scope and creativity of education policy action that can be seen today in Brazil. Even more unique is the large number of cutting-edge policy areas in which different states and municipalities are experimenting with similar programs with slightly different design features -- like the teacher bonus programs in Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Pernambuco and Rio de Janeiro municipality. The chance to study these systematically makes Brazil one of the world’s best laboratories for generating global evidence on “what works” in education. ([World Bank Report 2010], p.86)

"A concerted federal strategy to support systematic research and knowledge generation from the Brazilian “education action lab” might be the single fastest road to world class education". ([World Bank Report 2010], p.87)

Higher education

Higher Education (Ensino Superior)

Secondary education is mandatory for those wishing to pursue higher education. In addition, students must pass a competitive entrance examination (known as vestibular) for their specific course of study. The number of candidates per available place in the freshman class may be in excess of 30 or 40 to one in the most competitive courses at the top public universities. In some particular courses with small number of vacancies, this number can be as high as 200[1].

Higher education in Brazil, as in many nations, can be divided into both undergraduate and graduate work. In addition to providing education, Universities promote research and provide stand-alone classes to the community.

The standard Brazilian undergraduate degree, styled "bacharelado", is awarded in most fields of arts, humanities, social sciences, mathematical sciences, or natural sciences, and normally requires 4 years of post-secondary studies at a certified university. Students who wish to qualify as secondary school teachers must complete a separate licentiate ("licenciatura") degree course, which, like a "bacharelado", also has a normal length of 4 years, but has a stronger emphasis on teaching methods and pedagogy. There is also a graduate in technology (whose graduates are called technologists), which emphasizes professional education geared to the labor market and the development of studies in the area of technology, especially in health, information technology, engineering and management. The degree in technology normally requires 2 to 4 years of studies in a certified university or college.

Five-year degrees leading to a professional diploma are awarded in select state-regulated careers such as architecture, engineering, veterinary medicine, psychology, and law. The professional degree in medicine requires in turn six years of full-time post-secondary studies. Residência, a two-to-five years internship in a teaching hospital is not required, but it is pursued by many professionals, especially those who wish to specialize in a given area.

Students who hold a four-year bachelor's degree or a five-year professional diploma are qualified for admission into graduate school (pós-graduação). Graduate master's degrees are normally awarded following the completion of a two-year program requiring satisfactory performance in a minimum number of advanced graduate courses (typically between five and eight classes), plus the submission by the degree candidate of a master's thesis (dissertação de mestrado) that is examined by an oral panel of at least three faculty members, including at least one external examiner. Doctoral degrees on the other hand normally require four years of full-time studies during which the degree candidate is required to complete further advanced graduate coursework, pass a doctoral qualifying exam, and submit an extensive doctoral dissertation (tese de doutorado) that must represent an original and relevant contribution to current knowledge in the field of study to which the dissertation topic belongs. The doctoral dissertation is examined in a final public oral exam administered by a panel of at least five faculty members, two of whom must be external examiners. Results from the dissertation are normally expected to be published in peer-reviewed journals, proceedings of international conferences, and/or in the form of books/book chapters.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Brazil

Table 1. Institutions of Higher Education in Brazil in 2004

		Universities	University centers	Integrated colleges	Colleges, Schools, Institutes	CET/FaT*
Brazil	2013	169	107	119	1474	144
Public	224	83	3	3	86	49
Public- Federal	87	46	1	-	6	34
Public- State	75	32	-	-	28	15
Public- Municipal	62	5	2	3	52	-
Private	1789	86	104	116	1388	95
Private - Private	1401	26	60	97	1125	93
Private - Community	388	60	44	19	263	2

• CET/FaT Centers for Technological Education and Collages of Technology (INEP, 2004b).

Source: Marina Becker Reifschneider Distance Education in Brazil and in the United States: a comparative view

Brazil has put significant resources into developing its higher education system over the past three decades. As a result, a system has evolved in which some institutions have achieved recognizable excellence in teaching and research, while, more generally, the majority of institutions have struggled to provide relevant, quality education at reasonable cost. Looked at in isolation, certain parts of the system are sound and productive. Taken as a whole, the system still has a number of large challenges to overcome.

About 15% of the age cohort is enrolled in higher education. This is quite low compared to other countries in the region (Argentina 36%; Chile 32%; Uruguay 30%; Venezuela, R.B. 29% [World Development Indicators 2001]) and to the OECD country average of 52% (OECD, 2001). Simply doubling the number of spaces offered, however, will not double the rate of coverage, because a demographic bulge of young Brazilians is reaching university age. Over the past 15 years, growth in private provision of higher education was roughly equal to the moderate growth of the university-age cohort, but now large absolute increases in enrollments would be needed simply to maintain the current rate of coverage. In addition, graduation rates from secondary schools are rising sharply and more older, working Brazilians are seeking tertiary degrees. In short, a larger percentage of a growing number of Brazilians are demanding higher education, and the system cannot keep pace with this demand under existing conditions.

Cost per student in public institutions, roughly R$14,000 per year in the federal system, is on par with OECD country averages while quality is not. Rigidities in funding and regulation create strong disincentives for cost-efficiency or quality. Public universities have been funded on the basis of input. Federal policy toward higher education, until recently, did not attempt to control costs or correlate funding to productivity. Other legislation and regulations, outside the control or influence of MEC, created built-in cost increases that did not improve the access, quality, or relevance of the education. University rectors have traditionally concerned themselves more with obtaining resources from the federal government than with managing the resources effectively within their institutions.

With a few notable exceptions, the quality of instruction and the relevance of the curriculum are below desirable standards. Historically, the Brazilian system - like those of continental Europe - is oriented to provide professional training rather than general or interdisciplinary education. Holders of a first university degree (graduação) are licensed to practice their profession by virtue of their diplomas. Such systems have been successful, productive, and of high quality under a variety of conditions. However, in Brazil, thanks largely to restrictive labor market regulation, the influence of professional associations in setting the curricula and the numbers of courses/places have served to limit the supply of professional labor, rather than to satisfy the demands of the labor market. Furthermore, in the Brazilian public system, a lack of coherence in research, teaching, and career advancement policies in public institutions has often led to a concentration of professors doing specialized research at the expense of undergraduate teaching. By contrast, many private institutions are driven by profit, and therefore do not undertake any research or pay salaries necessary to attract and retain high-quality professors.

The public system, which includes many, but not all of the country's finest institutions, provides higher quality education than the private sector, charges no tuition, and limits the number of places. Competition for admittance is fierce, and wealthy students do best because they can afford elite private high schools and special preparation courses for the entrance exams. Estimates on enrollment by income quintile show that two thirds of students are from the highest income quintile, while only about 5% are from the two lowest. It is a generally recognized problem that students from lower and lower middle class backgrounds have greater difficulty gaining entrance to the free, public system. If these individuals study at all, they are more likely to be in the private system, where they must pay tuition. Some financial assistance is available from the government and the institutions themselves, but it does not sufficiently address the needs of the students in the system, and much less the potential students who are excluded due to inability to pay.

Clearly, many important changes are underway within the system. The challenge is to focus attention on those that will promote the greatest progress in equitable access, quality, relevance, and efficiency. With this in mind, it is recommended the following steps. First, with respect to access: (a) the trend towards diversification through new instruments, such as sequential courses, and new institutional definitions (such as university centers) should continue; (b) the amount of targeted financial assistance for poor students should be increased; and (c) five and ten year enrollment increase targets should be identified, and progress toward improved coverage should be monitored closely. Additionally, the Government of Brazil has several policy options for increasing access to tertiary education that it may consider in the future. These include: i) increasing government and private funding of public institutions; in light of the current economic situation in Brazil, and the government's relatively high spending for higher education, it is unlikely that a large infusion of public funds for higher education is forthcoming. However, the addition of private resources could lead to an increased supply of places to the extent that the additional resources are used to educate and train students rather than to pay for administrative costs or research; ii) reducing costs per student at public institutions could be achieved in any number of ways and is best dealt with at the institutional level; and iii) charging tuition at public universities. This option is being used increasingly around the world as a means to maintain or increase institutional budgets. When combined with well thought out student aid schemes, this could have a positive impact on equity access.

Higher education structure

Secondary education is mandatory for those wishing to pursue higher education. In addition, students must pass a competitive entrance examination (known as vestibular) for their specific course of study. The number of candidates per available place in the freshman class may be in excess of 30 or 40 to one in the most competitive courses at the top public universities. In some particular courses with small number of vacancies, this number can be as high as 200.

Higher education in Brazil, as in many nations, can be divided into both undergraduate and graduate work. In addition to providing education, Universities promote research and provide stand-alone classes to the community.

Higher education begins with undergraduate or sequential courses, which may offer different specialization choices such as academic or vocational education. Depending on choice, students may improve their educational background with postgraduate courses Stricto Sensu or Lato Sensu. Higher education has three bases: teaching, research and extension, each with their own specific contribution to make to a particular course. Diplomas and certificates are proof of having passed through higher education.

The standard Brazilian undergraduate bachelor's degree (graduação) is awarded in most fields of arts, humanities, social sciences, mathematical sciences, or natural sciences, and normally requires 4 years of post-secondary studies at a certified university. Students interested in teaching careers at secondary schools can take an additional year in lecturing courses (licenciatura). Five-year degrees are awarded in the so-called professional careers such as architecture, engineering, veterinary medicine, and law. The undergraduate degree in medicine requires in turn six years of full-time post-secondary studies. Residência, a two-to-five years internship in a teaching hospital is not required, but it is pursued by many professionals, especially those who wish to specialize in a given area.

Students who hold a four-year bachelor's degree or a five-year professional diploma are qualified for admission into graduate school (pós-graduação). Graduate master's degrees are normally awarded following the completion of a two-year program requiring satisfactory performance in a minimum number of advanced graduate courses (typically between five and eight classes), plus the submission by the degree candidate of a master's thesis (dissertação de mestrado) that is examined by an oral panel of at least three faculty members, including at least one external examiner. Doctoral degrees on the other hand normally require four years of full-time studies during which the degree candidate is required to complete further advanced graduate coursework, pass a doctoral qualifying exam, and submit an extensive doctoral dissertation (tese de doutorado) that must represent an original and relevant contribution to current knowledge in the field of study to which the dissertation topic belongs. The doctoral dissertation is examined in a final public oral exam administered by a panel of at least five faculty members, two of whom must be external examiners. Results from the dissertation are normally expected to be published in peer-reviewed journals, proceedings of international conferences, and/or in the form of books/book chapters.

Problems in Higher education system

The main problems the Brazilian higher education system is facing at present are the following:

1. Access: in spite of the rapid expansion during the last ten years, the system is still small compared with those of other countries in Latin America. Also, most students in higher education come from medium- and high-income groups. The poorest sections of the population can only enter higher education today as a result of the great expansion at secondary level.

2. Finance: the new sections of the population trying to enter higher education lack sufficient financial backing. Places in the free public institutions are very restricted and the cost of private education is very high in terms of the incomes of these new groups aspiring to enter higher education.

3. Quality: the quality of higher education institutions in Brazil is very variable. Alongside institutions with international reputations we find many with low levels of teaching and little encouragement to undertake research.

4. Efficiency: public institutions - usually of better quality than the rest - suffer great problems of inefficiency in the use of public resources, resulting in a relatively small number of students attending them in terms of the amount of funds invested.

5. Curricular structure unrelated to the needs of the labour market: the content of higher education courses in Brazil lacks the flexibility to adapt to the needs of the labour market.

6. Little connection with the productive sector: in general, technological research and development is carried out in universities with little connection with the productive sector.

Expansion and access to Higher Education

Higher education enrolments more than doubled in the last ten years. In spite of this significant growth, the gross rate of enrolments at the higher level in Brazil is very small when compared to international levels, even when compared to some of other comparable countries in Latin America. Nevertheless, there is a reasonable consensus of opinion on the need to settle on the most effective way to provide a more lasting solution to the problems of access and equity in higher education. In the 1980s growth in enrolments did not even keep up with population growth.

Between 1980 and 1994 expansion of higher education was quite restricted: growth of only 20% in enrolments; reduction of 3.5% in the number of higher education institutions and 26% growth in the number of courses. In 1994, total enrolments on undergraduate courses were 1.7 million. The higher education system at that time consisted of 851 institutions. There has been a significant increase in enrolments and completions of higher education courses in Brazil after 1995.

The growth in supply of courses in recent years has being greater in towns in the interior than in state capitals. That an ‘interiorization’ of higher education is occurring because of an appreciable growth in the numbers of courses, so that many towns which previously had no HEI now have one. This has brought great benefits to students who had been excluded on a regional basis. Many who had not been able to move to the state capital to study at the higher level and now have the chance to do so in their hometown.

Socio-economic data concerning students in Brazilian higher education institutions show the marked presence of those coming from social groups with average and high incomes. It can even be stated that the supply of places is basically a response to the demand for higher education that these classes have created. With the ever-growing demand and a far greater number of students able and desiring to enter higher education, private institutions have had ample room to increase their supply.

The growing expansion of secondary education and the increase in the number of students leaving this level of education suggests that there is greater pressure for obtaining chances of education at a higher level coming precisely from the poorer classes in society. The growth in supply of courses in recent years has been greater in the poorest states and in towns in the interior than in the southwest or south and state capitals. Projections concerning access to higher education indicate the growth among students from lower-income families in the total numbers of new entrants to higher education. This is happening due to the increased flow of students coming from public secondary education and the increasing demand for better-qualified personnel with university degrees for jobs which previously did not require them.

One of the main areas for public policy in relation to access is the design of the means of financing studies and maintaining lower-income students in the system. The policies of increasing rates of schooling at higher level with improved quality at this level, especially in public institutions, increasing the number of places on evening courses, the broad re-design of the means of financing studies and maintaining lower-income students in the system, are some of the possible initiatives being put into place. The country has experienced several mechanisms for increasing access to higher education, including student loans programmes, scholarships in private institution in exchange of tax exemption and, quotas. The policy of quotas, which is very controversial, appears in this context as a transitional strategy. It is also important to emphasize that the expansion of evening classes in the public sector is still insufficient to meet the potential demand from students who are finishing their public secondary education during the evening ‘shift’. A great part of this potential demand has been met by the private sector. In Brazil, 68% of private enrolments are for the evening period, in which most courses do not require full-time attendance.

Universities in Brazil

There are about 2,300 HEIs in Brazil of which 11% are public and 89% are private institutions.

Among the public HEIs 42% are federal, 34% are state operated and 24% are run by municipalities. The municipal HEIs are mainly colleges, schools and institutes.

Among the private HEIs 78% are profit-seeking institutions while 20% are non-profit institutions run by religious, community or philanthropic organizations.

Research is mainly conducted at the 178 universities, which also grant the majority of Master's and Doctoral degrees.

Some of the universities in Brazil are:

• Escola Federal de Engenharia de Itajuba
• Escola Técnica Federal de Goiá
• Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo Fundação Getúlio Vargas
• Federal University of Paraiba
• Instituto Militar de Engenharia
• PUC-Rio
• Pontifí&cia Universidade Católica do Paraná
• Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas
• Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio Grande do Sul
• Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo
• Universidad Federal de São Paulo
• Universidade Católica de Brasília
• Universidade Católica de Pernambuco
• Universidade Estadual Paulista
• Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense
• Universidade Federal Fluminense
• Universidade Federal da Bahia
• Universidade Federal de Alagoas
• Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora
• Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
• Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto
• Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
• Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina
• Universidade Federal de Santa Maria
• Universidade Federal de Uberlândia
• Universidade Federal de Viçosa
• Universidade Federal do Ceará
• Universidade Federal do Paranà
• Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte
• Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
• Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
• Universidade Federal fo Espírito Santo
• Universidade de Brasília
• Universidade de Fortaleza
• Universidade de Passo Fundo
• Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro
• Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina
• University of Campinas
• University of São Paulo

Education reform

Schools

Distance education reform

An important part of the Brazilian education reform began in 1995 with the creation of a federal department called the "Secretary of Distance Education" (SEED). The goal of SEED is to use information and communication technologies toward supporting and improving the quality and dissemination of education in this country with a population of 170 million people spread across nearly 1/2 of South America's land mass. Under SEED's "Proinfo" program, computers and access to the internet were issued to all public schools in Brazil, under the condition that the schools present an appropriate pedagogical strategy. To this end, each municipal government was allocated funding to establish a "Nucleus of Educational Technology" (NTE), making computer labs and networks available for teachers, and offering educational programs for teacher training.

Upgrading of teachers

Another important advance occurred in 1997, when the Brazilian Ministry of Education decreed that all K-12 school teachers have an undergraduate degree, and all university teachers a masters degree, by the year 2006. This meant that at least 50% of the Brazilian teachers and professors would have to upgrade their skills in a relatively short time, resulting in a huge and widespread demand for teacher training, as well as need to create solutions for efficient and effective teacher education.

The Distance Education Laboratory (LED) of the Federal University of Santa Catarina (South Brazil) has been meeting this challenge for several years by forming partnerships with educational institutions all over Brazil, implementing programs using Teleconferencing, Videoconferencing and Internet-based distance education programs, making it possible for teachers to avoid leaving their posts to learn. Although the subjects taught via the LED are varied, they are mainly related to information technology and education, according to each institution's specific needs and budget.

Post-secondary

The Bologna Process

No information.

Administration and finance

Post-secondary

Higher education institutions in Brazil are, according to their administrative organization, classified as public or private, depending on the juridical nature of the organizations that maintain them. Public institutions are maintained and administered by the federal, state, or municipal governments. Private institutions are maintained and administered by individuals or legal entities and may be for-profit or not-for-profit (SESUa). Access to higher education is Brazil is through very competitive national entrance examinations; since public education, including tertiary and graduate education, is completely free of charge, entrance examinations to public schools are even more competitive. According to their academic organization, they may be Universities, Specialized Universities, University Centers, Specialized University Centers, Integrated Colleges and Colleges, Higher Education Institutes and Schools of Higher Education, and Centers for Technological Education. Universities and Specialized Universities conduct research and extension activities in addition to teaching (INEP, 2006).

Source: Marina Becker Reifschneider Distance Education in Brazil and in the United States: a comparative view

Quality assurance, inspection and accreditation

Post-secondary

There are large differences in quality of higher education institutes in Brazil. There are universities that have a high reputation all over the world and offer very high quality education; on the other hand, there are dozens of universities that fail the national evaluation tests applied by the Ministry of Education (MEC).

The evaluation process results in the quality level. Accreditation, re-accreditation of Universities, authorization, recognition and renewal of recognition are regulatory procedures. Evaluation identifies a scenario checking their quality. The Sinai (National System for the Evaluation of Higher Education) is responsible for these evaluations,and it is composed of four instruments for evaluation:

• The institutional self-evaluation, carried out continuously and with results to be presented every three years;
• The foreign institutional evaluation, performed locally by a committee of evaluators;
• The assessment of the conditions of education (ACE) applied to courses where the evaluation committee deems necessary to check;
• Integrated Evaluation Process of Educational Development and Innovation Area (ENADE), which will be applied to test students in the middle and end of the course in four major areas: human sciences, exact, technological and biological and health .

For a society to know the quality of each educational establishment and have parameters to choose where to attend graduation, the register of institutions and courses will contain a complete dossier with data legal, academic, and census evaluation. The results of the Sinai explain the decisions of the MEC on the recognition of courses and accreditation of institutions.

Source: http://www.nesobrazil.org/dutch-organizations/brazilian-education-system/quality-assurance

Quality of higher distance education

Quality control in higher education in Brazil seeks to ‘insure continuous improvement in the development and dissemination of cultural, scientific, technological, and professional knowledge, as a means of overcoming regional, national and international problems, and achieving sustainable development’ (SEEDc). The Distance Education Secretariat has released the document ‘Ministry of Education Quality Indicators for Higher Distance Education Courses’ (‘Indicadores de Qualidade do MEC para Cursos de Graduação a Distância’) as a guide to institutions seeking accreditation. This document discusses 10 critical issues to assure quality DE: management engagement, project design, multidisciplinary professional team, communication/integration between agents, educational resources, support infrastructure, continuous and comprehensive evaluation, agreements and partnerships, transparency of information, and financial sustainability.

Source: Marina Becker Reifschneider Distance Education in Brazil and in the United States: a comparative view

Information society

Towards the information society

The socio-economic inequities in Brazil strongly contribute to prevent a significant portion of country population to benefit from the access to modern information technologies. According to studies, (Waisenfisz, 2007) more than 31 million people had internet access in Brazil in 2005. However, this represents only 17,2% of Brazilian population. These results put Brazil in the 76° position among the 193 surveyed countries. In Latin America its rank is behind Chile (28,9%), Costa Rica (21,3%), Uruguai (20,6%), and Argentina (17,8%). The inequity of access among Brazilian regions and groups of people are even more dramatic. State of Alagoas rates were of 7,6%, while the Federal District presented 41,2%. The low-income group presented 0,5% access rate, in opposition to the higher income group with 77% access rate.Through education, social exclusion is to be reduced in order to avoid social inequality. To achieve this, the Brazilian Ministry of Education proposes a set of development programs in different but integrated directions. Some of these programs are: equipping schools with necessary structure to use computers and internet connection; enhancing teacher education and training stressing the development of information technology skills; providing open and distance learning opportunities; and offering free and quality digital learning resources. In order to take advantage from the information technologies individuals need to have access to information and knowledge production. However, in order to have access, it’s necessary to know how to use these new technologies. The currently policies for education sector deal not only with the increasing of digital access but also with the learning skills required to use and make the most of information technologies. The National Program for informatics in Education – Proinfo plan for the next three years consists of supplying 138.405 public schools in Brazil with computer labs and broadband internet connection, and offering training on educational technology for K-12 teachers of all parts of the country. Proinfo is a result of a partnership among the federal government, states and cities to equip schools with computers. A variety of digital content is brought to school with the new computers, such as: educational videos, multimedia learning objects, hypertexts, and opens source software. Digital Educational Repositories

One of the first initiatives in Brazil to provide free digital learning material through the web was the Interactive Virtual Education Network - RIVED, a Ministry of Education project. And this was the pioneer attempt in the country to use learning object concept and open standards to produce and publish digital material (Nascimento, 2003). RIVED learning objects consist of problem-based multimedia interactive activities, covering diverse topics, mostly aimed for high school level. The learning objects are stored in a repository, and users can find them by using a search engine. When users access the search results the full description of the materials are available, and also a teacher’s guide. An important feature for assessment and recommendation is implemented for those who access the resources. RIVED sponsors multidisciplinary teams at universities for research and production of learning objects. Consequently, the project major benefit is the development of a culture of digital learning resources production for free dissemination and reuse, in the Brazilian universities. While the teams support the creation of resources to feed the repository, they also help to enrich the pre-service teachers training by having them as team members. The Portal of Public Domain is another repository MEC implemented to provide anyone the free access to literature, academic papers, audio and video files, among others. Many videos produced by TV School are stored in this repository and available for use.

Although the web has a great amount of content, it is time consuming for a teacher to search everywhere for published resources. And many educators go into MEC web address hoping to find easily the learning material, but they have to navigate in different pages looking for what they need. Considering all these, the idea of a major gateway for locating and using varied format of learning objects was the natural progress. Therefore, a new project has been developed to bring together, in the same repository, the whole digital educational resources produced or sponsored by MEC, besides all the other ones identified in Brazil and other countries, intended for the sharing and reusing. The repository, named International Bank of Learning Objects, is to support the Teacher’s Portal, where teachers will find examples of how to use the digital resources, will have access to open source software, and will be able to assess and know other people opinions about each learning object. The public learning resources will support K-12, vocational and higher education in diverse knowledge fields.

copied from Enhancing Quality and Lessening Inequity Anna Christina Aun de Azevedo Nascimento.

Information society strategy

Most efforts in technological development and innovation have been concentrated in certain of Brazil’s universities and not in the business world. Research and development is a strength of higher education of Brazil. Today, almost all states have federal universities, and foundations to encourage research. However, these institutions do not have the same kind of autonomy, especially in terms of continuous, regular and guaranteed financing.

On the other side, Brazil’s scientific and technological development in the area of business is still at an initial stage. Brazilian companies have been late in incorporating and developing technology. It is also a consequence of the weakness of business sector's own capacity of research. On top of that, the collaboration between academia and industries is also very insufficient taking into account the needs of Brazilian development. Besides the poor performance of the Brazilian companies in relation to innovation, there is some prejudice that exist among Brazilian scholars in relation to the cooperation with the private sector.

Brazil shows a paradox: on the one hand, there is in the business sphere a low capacity for absorbing human resources into Science, Technology and Innovation (S&T&I); on the other hand, the system of training these resources has shown a large increase in supply especially in terms of postgraduate programmes. In the last two decades, Brazil’s scientific capacity has grown systematically year by year at an increasingly faster rate. The ranking of countries, according to their participation in world scientific production – Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) of the National Science Indicators (NSI) – is evidence of Brazil’s progress in this field. In 1981, Brazil was in 26th place; in 2001, it already occupied a worthy 18th position. On the other side, from 2000 to 2003 a slow growth was observed in technological development and innovation in Brazilian industry.

The fact that national research being concentrated in universities - in particular at the postgraduate level - makes it very dependent on the training of those with master’s and doctoral degrees. In this context, the importance of new strategies to bring the network of universities together with the world of business becomes more important. An important step in this direction was taken by the recently voted and approved Innovation Law. New means of finance – Sector Funds – and identification of priority sectors in industrial policy, as well as the formulation of the post graduate development plan by CAPES, indicates the desire to continue these trends.

It may be said that a move towards innovation and a clearer preparation for future expansion in R & D activities within growing companies is beginning to be developed recently. There are, however, obstacles hindering this development from proceeding more rapidly. These obstacles are mainly due to organizational inflexibility, problems in the marketplace and the absence of systemic synergy. However, what is most noticeable in the two periods studied is that over 30% of companies complain of lack of qualified personnel. This shows that, even where there is clear difficulty in absorbing manpower, there are questions of quality that have to be overcome.

ICT in education initiatives

Context and Current Developments

Two valuable and detailed reports on education and the development of technology-enhanced teaching and learning in Brazil have been made available since 2010. The first is the World Bank report (from now on WB report, published on December 21, 2010) Achieving World Class Education in Brazil: The Next Agenda'. Last accessed 05/10/2011.

The second is the ICT Education 2010 Report (published in 2011) - Survey on the Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Brazilian Schools. Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI - Comitê Gestor da Internet). Last accessed 05/10/2011.

These two reports together help tracing a panorama of the state of development of ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) in schools and, and as consequence, on what to expect in terms of the development of virtual schools in Brazil.

[The World Bank Report]

Internationally, education systems are in a state of flux and widespread Government attempts to reform and modernise all elements of education mean that legislation is constantly being introduced and the system of education in most countries is dynamic, to say the least. Brazil is no exception:

The average educational attainment of the labor force since 1995 has improved faster than any other developing country, including China, which had set the global record for schooling expansion in the prior decades. […] by 2007, public spending on education in Brazil (5.2 percent of GDP) was already above the OECD average of 4.8 percent of GDP. (WB Report 2010, p. 3)

Despite these exciting numbers, the WB report cites government audits and research studies which have documented a serious degree of corruption and mismanagement of education funds and evidence that these are highly correlated with poor education quality and results.There is a “long-standing culture of clientelismo – or the transfer of public funding in exchange for political support. (WB Report, 2010, p.8)

These instances may interfere with the published data and it is possible that any descriptive report may become rapidly dated as state and federal governments find effective ways to improve efficiency and eradicate corruption and as spending on education increases (from both public and private sectors).

In terms of ICT infrastructure the WB report reveals that "municipalities with detected corruption were much less likely to have adequate school infrastructure or to provide in-service training to teachers. Teachers and directors in these municipalities were more likely to cite a lack of resources as a principal concern". (WB report, p.52)

The WB report also reveals that traditional teaching methods predominate. Books are used less than 20% of time. The blackboard is the principal teaching material -- used 25-34% of the time. Between 8 and 21% of time, no materials are used. Almost no use of ITC or cooperative learning activities is observed.

"In each of the school systems observed, there were many classrooms that exceeded the OECD good practice benchmarks for time spent on instruction. There were classrooms where students were never off-task. There were classrooms where books, materials, ICT and cooperative learning activities were used as intensively as in the best schools in Finland, Korea or Canada. There were teachers like the “heroes” profiled in Annexes 1 and 2. But these teachers, and their classrooms, are not the norm in Brazil today. Many teachers in Brazil resist having their work observed". (WB report, p.63)

An additional dimension in Brazil concerns the shifting pattern of legislation, funding, and the introduction of digital information and communication technologies (DICTs). Most important is that some of this work is recent and very current, so there are few evaluations of effectiveness or longitudinal research outcomes to report. But the pace of change is impressive and this will soon improve as classroom observation experience and impact evaluations are developed.

The WB Report identifies four priority areas for the immediate future of Brazil’s education system. These are:

i) raising teacher quality; ii) protecting the early development of the most vulnerable children; iii) building a world class secondary education system; and iv) maximizing the impact of federal policy on basic education – especially by capitalizing on the Brazilian “education action lab (p.54)

In summary, the World Bank Report seems to conclude that – even when funds are directed at school improvement via enhanced ICT media and methods – there is (a) resistance because of the inherently conservative and traditional approach, and (b) too much funding is siphoned off through corruption and inefficiency. However, as stated, this is a dynamic process and the scene is changing rapidly.

[The ICT Education Report ]

ICT Education 2010

The ICT Education Report is ongoing, in order to address the challenge of a developing context, as the authors explain: "Two approaches have been adopted in the survey [… ] The first approach is comprised of a longitudinal qualitative module, in which 12 schools will be monitored over four years, starting in 2010 and finishing in 2013, with two annual visits for observation, monitoring the changes in broadband access and its impacts on teaching practices. Results of this study will be analysed and published in the future. The second stage comprises a quantitative sample, which is presented in this publication". (ICT Education Report, p.141)

The first stage of the ICT Education Report is therefore not yet available, but its publication will significantly add to the current understanding and awareness of online or e-learning and ‘virtual schools’ in Brazil. In order to achieve its goals, the ICT Education Survey interviewed a sample of 500 public schools, interviewing principals, directors of studies, teachers and students, seeking to represent the Brazilian scenario of education and the use of technologies. According to this proposal, the work was based on international references, such as InfoDev (World Bank), the IEA (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement) and Sites 2006 (Second Information Technology in Education Study). (Ibid, p.142)

Until publication of the second stage of the Report, there are several caveats to be borne in mind. As pointed out earlier – the vagaries of funding, teachers’ experience and attitudes, and the simple availability of different ICTs – will all impact on the full exploitation of new technologies and media in teaching and learning. Statistics produced by the Cetic.br surveys contribute to the debate about public policies, particularly those related to digital inclusion, such as the National Broadband Plan, the Broadband in Schools and the Community Telecenters programs, etc.

There has been limited inclusion of ICT in education in initial teacher education in Latin and this reflects the late and uneven diffusion of these technologies in the region. ICTs have been slow to acquire prominent status in Latin American economy and society, although there has been more enthusiasm in Brazilian universities. In schools, the Um laptop por Criança (One Laptop per Child) initiative offers promise (this project involves Argentina and Uruguay as well), but the results of ICT policies in schools are difficult to assess, since there is a lack of methodology, specific indicators, and systematic and reliable data are missing.The research presented on the ICT report reveals that although a number of projects for the use of technologies in education have been implemented over the past two decades, the use of ICTs in the classrooms is still not fully integrated to the day-to-day activities of the schools nor the syllabi.

Teachers’ professional development is therefore a necessary first step towards fully exploiting DICTs in schools. For example, in the UK, the Learning Schools Programme of 2000-2003 was critical in aiding teachers’ understanding of the affordances and benefits of ICT in schools.

Data from the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (ICT Education Report 2010) suggests that each public school has on average 23 computers, but only about 18 of those are actually installed and in use due to maintenance reasons. There is an average of 800 students per public school and broadband is present in 87% of schools which have an Internet connection.

The conservative and traditional approach to schooling, coupled with lack of recognition of the affordances of technology-enhanced education, will continue to hold back development in schools and colleges. Even so, Brazilian HE is strong and its universities are prominently represented in international ratings, such that they are leading in the LA region. In time, the deployment of ICTs in universities will filter into teacher training and then into schools.

In conclusion, the digital divide exists in two dimensions: first – the under-provision of ICTs and connectivity, and second – the lack of understanding of the benefits of technological exploitation in education. It is reasonable, however, to predict that Web 2.0, the ‘Cloud’ and social networking will hasten the uptake of new technologies and rich media in teaching and learning.

Virtual initiatives in schools

A brief definition

By virtual schools, in the context of the VISCED research carried out in Brazil, it is meant schools and/or colleges attended by people in the age-range 14–21, where there is significant evidence that human, face-to-face teaching and learning has been replaced by technology-enhanced learning – e-learning, online learning, or open and distance learning. Such schools may be partly or completely active in the virtual sense, but – where the virtual schooling is only part of the school's provision – it is expected it to be a significant part. This section attempts to show, to the extent it is possible, how widespread these initiatives have become in Brazil, so that comparisons may be made across a range of countries. Eventually, the VISCED project will hope to benchmark best practice in the field and recommend measures for quality assurance.

Colégio Militar de Manaus

The Colégio Militar de Manaus, in the state of Amazonas, started its distance learning activities in 2002. Its aim is to serve students that are between 10-18 years old and registered from the 6th year of the fundamental cycle to the 3rd year of the secondary education (ensino medio), whose parents are on duty in the Amazon area or abroad. The school caters for approximately 400 students every year, located in 33 different countries. Among the media used for delivering the courses, these are the most used: email, Skype, telephone, fax, mail and a virtual learning environment. The students receive printed materials, CDs and DVDs, all delivered through the Brazilian air force.

For a virtual tour of the distance learning department of the school in Portuguese click here

Escola Técnica Aberta do Brasil (E-TEC)

The Escola Técnica do Brasil (Open Technical School of Brazil) is a national programme that aims to expand professional education in Brazil. It has been developed under the umbrella of the former Distance Education Secretariat (SEED) and the Professional and Technological Education Secretariat (SETEC). Its objective is to take technical courses to distant regions of Brazil and to the peripheral areas of big Brazilian cities. The aim is to encourage the young to conclude secondary education (ensino médio) and join the active worforce.

The Escola Técnica do Brasil is therefore an important step towards the democratization of public and free secondary education in Brazil in the distance learning mode. In 2008 alone for example 50 thousand places have been offered, and 193 regional centers with computers and libraries have been inaugurated across the country. Courses in 14 subject areas were on offer, to include computing, nursing, metallurgy, environmental studies, tourism, civil engineering, business management, health and social care, commerce, arts, chemistry and telecommunications. In total, 75 million Reais were invested, 143 courses offered, and 26 thousand students registered.

The model of E-Tec is similar to the one of UAB (Universidade Aberta do Brasil – Open University of Brasil). The Ministry of Education (MEC) is responsible for providing financial assistance for the production of courses. The states, federal district and municipalities provide the infrastructure, the equipment, the human resources and other items needed for each institution running the courses. The target was to provide infrastructure to 1000 regional centres and to register 200 thousand students up until 2010.

EVESP - Escola Virtual de Programas Educacionais

EVESP is an initiative of the São Paulo State Education Secretariat. The school was authorized by decree dated 20th May 2011. The aim is to offer 50 thousand language courses places for students of the São Paulo State Education System. The virtual school also targets the education of hard-to-reach audiences such as prisoners, Afro-Brazilians and the indigenous population.

Fundação Bradesco Escola Virtual

The Fundação Bradesco Escola Virtual (Virtual School) extends the pedagogical project of the Bradesco Foundation beyond the borders of its 40 school units. Dedicated to offering distance learning courses - Internet-based and "semi-presential" segments of Basic Education, Training and Youth and Adult Education, this portal for e-learning is available to students and alumni, educators and staff of Bradesco Foundation, as well as people in the community and unemployed people who wish to obtain a new qualification or retraining for work. Its web site is http://www.ev.org.br/Paginas/Home.aspx

Instituto Nacional de Educação a Distância (INED)

INED is a private school based in São Paulo offering courses targeting the education of young and adult individuals – a population described as EJA (Educação de Jovens e Adultos – Education of the Young and Adults). It also offers technical courses, preparing for the job market (equivalent to college – in Brazil described as Educação Tecnológica) - these courses can be attended by individuals of all age groups that qualify for technical secondary education (ensino médio técnico).

The technical courses at INED are licensed by the Brazilian Ministry of Education to be offered at a distance, in the blended learning mode as the Brazilian law requires (with face-to-face assessments). The courses at INED are offered mostly using virtual technologies (email, discussion forums) and the students also receive printed course materials.

PROCEFET – RN

PROCEFET (Programa de Iniciação Tecnológica e Cidadania do CEFET / Rio Grande do Norte) is a basic, entry level course on Technology and Citizenship offered at a distance, aimed at students of the ninth year of the fundamental years of public schools. The aim is to provide a revision of subjects such as Portuguese and Mathematics with focus on themes such as citizenship and ethics in relation to day-to-day activities at home, at school and in their professional environment.

The mix of media used in the course is: • Printable materials • Book • TV classes recorded on university channel – available online • Online assessment

Examples of educational materials used in the course:

1. Click here to see a TV programme example – number 1 of the series, in Portuguese

2. Click here to see the printable materials

Projeto Bem Receber – World Cup 2014

The Projeto Bem Receber Copa 2014 (Good Hosting Project - World Cup 2014), is sponsored by the Brazilian Ministry of Tourism. It offers online distance learning courses for employees of hotels, aiming to qualify them free of charge to be ‘good hosts’ during the World Cup 2014 in Brazil. Age range: all.

The Ministry of Tourism aims to qualify 306 thousand professionals up until 2013. These professionals are: porters, receptionists, room cleaners and hotel managers.

Rede SENAI de Educação a Distância

SENAI (SENAI Distance Education Network) offers a number of professional and technical courses aiming to prepare individuals for the job market. SENAI stands for National Service for Industrial Learning (Serviço Nacional de Aprendizagem Industrial). Technical courses are offered in the blended learning mode where face-to-face meetings happen at regional centers. SENAI provides printed and online materials and courses are free of charge, offered at all national territory.

SEBRAE (Serviço Brasileiro de Suporte à Micro e Pequena Empresa)

"SEBRAE (Brazilian Support Service to Micro and Small Businesses) offers about 15 courses online and free of charge to anyone wishing to learn more about business management and entrepreneurship. The courses are tutored on a virtual learning environment (platform WebAula), and the learners receive a course certificate on completion. The courses are offered free of charge and are open to anyone to study them. Users only need to have access to the Internet and commit to a certain number of study hours over a given period of time so that they can complete the syllabus. Some of the courses offered by SEBRAE are: Individual Entrepreneurship, Quality Management, Internet for Small Business and Innovation Management".

Source: Santos, A.I. (2011) Open Educational Resources in Brazil: State of the Art, Challenges and Prospects for Development and Innovation. UNESCO- IIET: Moscow

SESI - Serviço Social da Indústria

SESI (Social Services of the Industry)has a number of short open courses on different subject areas, ranging from music and arts to environment and law. They are open to all, usually at an affordable price and some of them are free of charge. These courses can be taken by anyone and they do not require any previous certificate or qualification. Examples of courses are Healthy Eating, Relaxation, Vocal health, Music and Recruiting Techniques. SESI Paraná in particular has won an e-learning award amongst other 25 e-learning institutions in Brazil for 'best practice' in 2011.

Virtual Campuses in post-secondary education

Summary figures for distance education at university level

Andreia Inamorato reported via email in June 2012 that:

930,179 students were studying at a distance in 2010 (approximately 14.6%). Out of this figure 210,000 are registered in public universities (where there are no fees for students). The Ministry of Education in Brazil aims to raise this figure to 600,000 students by 2014 (in this case including secondary and HE) .

Interesting Virtual Campus Initiatives in universities

Some Virtual Campus and other interesting initiatives and organisations are listed here:

• FGV Online, created in 2000, is an online universitary program. FGV Online serves undergraduate, graduate

and MBA students, executives and entrepreneurs, and corporate universities developing e-learning projects.

• FATECE, Faculdade de Tecnologia, Ciências e Educação offers graduate, postgraduate and specialisation courses (academic, post lauream and professional training courses) delivered both in traditional and eLearning modality.

• Technospice do Brasil Tecnologia LTDA. Technospice is a private enterprise highly specialized in econtent and media fields.

• Fundação de Fátima. The Foundation of Fatima is a non profit organization sited in Sao Paulo-Brasil that delivers educational broadcasting services.

• The School of the Future of the University of São Paulo

The "School of the Future" of the University of São Paulo, is an interdisciplinary laboratory investigating the question of how new communications technologies can improve learning at all educational levels. Begun in 1989 as a departmental laboratory in the School of Communications and Arts, its growth and increasingly interdisciplinary nature took it out of that home in 1993 and placed it under the aegis of the Office of the Dean of Research, where it continues to flourish, financially self-sustaining and independent of the University budget, but with strong encouragement and guidance from the central administration.

• Virtual Campus of the Gama Filho University

Connected to the changes and innovations in the educational field, Universidade Gama Filho created the UGF Virtual Campus. Through the website http://www.campusvirtual.br, students and visitors have access to libraries, classrooms, professors’ rooms, events and the Knowledge City, a digital inclusion project developed by the UGF Distance Education Unit in partnership with the Palmas City Hall, in the State of Tocantins.

• Cederj

Cederj, the Center for Distance Learning of the State of Rio de Janeiro, is a consortium of six public universities effectively collaborating to extend full university diploma courses to residents of underserved communities far from large urban centers.

• CVA-RICESU

CVA-RICESU, the Network of Catholic Institutions of Higher Education, is a consortium of sixteen private universities achieving exceptional synergy through the coordinated offerings of online courses from the participating institutions.

• FUNIBER Virtual Campus

As a pioneer in the field of distance education La Fundación Universitaria Iberoamericana (English: Ibero-American University Foundation) (FUNIBER), has set up a Virtual Campus, which is accessible via the Internet. Founded in 1997 in Barcelona, Spain, it has become an academic and professional network across 15 countries. In Brazil the Centro Universitário Leonardo da Vinci and the Universidade do Contestado are members of FUNIBER.

• e-ProInfo

An e-learning project that has already trained 50 thousand students.

• BEACON

IST project that will develop innovative t-learning pilot services related to social inclusion in the State of Sao Paulo.

• Alfa Virtual School

This seems to be linked with a repository of educational objects, run by the Ministry.

Further information

• An excellent account of distance education developments in Brazil can be found in the article: Porto, S., & Berge, Z. 2008. Distance Education and Corporate Training in Brazil: Regulations and interrelationships. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning [Online] 9:2. Available: http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/478/1033

• An overview of Corporate Virtual Universities in Brazil can be found in the article: Fredric M. Litto, Corporate Virtual Universities in Brazil - A Glimpse of the Scenario in 1999. Available: http://www.abed.org.br/publique/cgi/cgilua.exe/sys/start.htm?infoid=176&sid=104&UserActiveTemplate=4abed

Interesting Programmes

1. Faculdade Pitágoras
2. Virtual Public University of Brazil a.k.a. Universidade Virtual Publica do Brasil a.k.a Unirede
3. Universidade de Brasilia Centro de Educação a Distância
4. Universidade Virtual do Centro-Oeste
5. UVB Campus
6. Open University of Brazil a.k.a. Universidade Aberta do Brasil
7. Mackenzie Presbyterian University

Virtual initiatives in colleges

Holos Virtual School

Holos Virtual School was the first school to specialize in "Natural Therapies courses at a distance". It is a private college. Its brochure states:

Born of the need to facilitate the acquisition of knowledge for all those who for one reason or another are unable to attend classroom courses while maintaining the quality of learning, which is just the highlight of our school. Current technology allows us to be present in the most remote places in a matter of seconds, without even leaving the house and make available to many people the knowledge to which its staff dedicate themselves and still am involved. Holos Virtual School makes a significant contribution in training of high capacity in various areas of Holistic Therapy. Its mission is to enable the student not only to be a diagnostic system but rather a deepening in several therapeutic systems. Only then can it promote health and help minimize the pain and suffering of humanity. It is for this reason that this site is dedicated to make available to students "Distance Learning Courses" with unquestionable quality and responsibility of professionals of the highest standard. All courses are accompanied by evaluation and give the right to obtain a certificate.

The Holos Virtual School web site is at http://holosvirtualschool.com/site2010/

Lessons learnt

General lessons

No information yet.

Notable practices

No information yet.

References

Wikipedia pages

• http://www.tfhe.net/resources/higher_edu_brazil.htm

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Brazil

Other references

• de Castro M., EFA 2000. Education for All: Evaluation of the Year 2000. National Report-Brazil

• Santanna R., How Brazil uses Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).

• Fredric M. Litto (organizador), Escola do Futuro - Universidade de São Paulo. Campus Computing Report.Br.2005. Computação e Tecnologia da Informação nas Instituições de Ensino Superior no Brasil

• Marina Becker Reifschneider Distance Education in Brazil and in the United States: a comparative view

• Martha A. S. Lucchesi, Brazilian Higher Education Policies, The ETHOS and the role of the University.

• N. R. Modro, L. C. Paas, and A. M. Rodriguez The Brazilian Virtualizing Project: Using Virtual Education to Bring Public School Teachers Closer to Modern Reality

• Anna Christina Aun de Azevedo Nascimento Enhancing Quality and Lessening Inequity

• Ministério da Educação The plan for the development of education. Reasons, principles and programs.

• Porto, S., & Berge, Z. Distance Education and Corporate Training in Brazil: Regulations and interrelationships.

• Fredric M. Litto, Corporate Virtual Universities in Brazil - A Glimpse of the Scenario in 1999.

• http://www.isep.org/students/placed/handbook_education.asp?country=7

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> Countries

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For OER policies and projects in Brazil see Brazil/OER

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