Regulatory obstacles to distance learning technology for the promotion of equality in higher education

Abstract

The 4th Industrial Revolution led the world to experience technological transformations in a significantly fast pace. As a result of this movement, the Fundamental Right to Education has also undergone modifications: with the emergence of pieces of software for managing educational institutions and school activities and an increasing possibility of access to didactic contents, the proposal to replace the traditional learning model by distance learning has also emerged. However, regulations about the subject in the Brazilian legal system are sparse and inconsistent. Because of that, there is a massification of education due the economic interest of private institutions that choose to invest in this new type of education, also considering that they will benefit from lowering costs. The expansion of distance learning comes up against the lack of universalization of the technology itself, considering that the inequality of positions is evident when it comes to the access to technologies that are required for attending distance learning. Although the objective of distance learning is the universalization of education, the mismatch between regulation agent and technological innovations allows for verifying the non-fulfillment of the purpose, jeopardizing the fundamental right to education with quality, regardless of the economic exploration of the public service.