DISTANCE EDUCATION IN BRAZIL: THE DILEMMA BETWEEN RAPID EXPANSION, INEFFICIENT REGULATION AND OVERSIGHT

Abstract

This thesis analyzes distance education (EAD) in Brazil from legal, social, pedagogical, and economic perspectives, highlighting the dilemma between its rapid expansion, normative regulation, and insufficient supervision. Based on bibliographical research, legislation, and official data, it investigates the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the consolidation of this modality and the challenges faced by the State in ensuring educational quality. The study shows that although distance education has expanded access to higher education and promoted social inclusion, its accelerated growth has led to phenomena such as the commodification of education, the precarization of teaching work, and regional inequality. The research also addresses the pedagogical implications of the lack of interactive methodologies and insufficient teacher training, factors that undermine meaningful learning. It concludes that distance education must be guided by strict regulation, technological investment, and institutional ethical commitment to fulfill its social and constitutional role of democratizing access to quality and equitable education.