Higher Education in Brazil: Retrospective, current challenges and looking ahead

Abstract

Higher Education has become an increasingly competitive field, and knowledge, its essence, has become a global commodity. Consequently, universities all over the world have been under pressure to respond to growing new demands quickly, dynamically and creatively. In the Brazilian context, overcoming the challenges that these Higher Education institutions face requires a significant effort to adapt and change, especially by public universities. In this essay we analyze the main challenges of Brazilian Higher Education institutions, especially those resulting from the Coronavirus crisis. We focus on challenges such as quality of Higher Education, funding and academic management. To this end, we explore some of the main changes that Higher Education institutions have undergone over time. We also highlight some alternative paths for those challenges, including reflections on opportunities that have arisen following the pandemic.