Ministry of Education Proposes Distance Education Reform with In-Person Exams and Attendance Control, Understand the Changes and Impacts for Courses Like Nursing

Written by Bruno Teles

Published on 22/04/2025 at 14:42

MEC Indica Reforma Profunda no EAD Superior; Veja Possíveis Mudanças

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MEC Proposal Includes In-Person Exams, Live Classes with Mandatory Attendance, and New Rules for Centers; Private Sector Criticizes Increased Costs.

The MEC is preparing a new regulatory framework for distance education, with changes such as in-person assessments every 10 weeks and a minimum infrastructure requirement at centers. Understand the proposals and impacts.

Changes Proposed by MEC for Distance Education

The MEC plans to reform distance learning with measures to increase quality of training. Among the proposals:

In-person assessments every 10 weeks, with 1/3 of essay questions;
Live classes with attendance control (75% minimum presence);
Minimum infrastructure in physical centers (laboratories, computer rooms).
The new regulatory framework is expected to be published by May 9.

New Requirements from MEC

The MEC wants in-person exams to have major weight in the final grade, preventing approval based solely on online tasks. Each assessment will include essay questions to test critical skills, especially in courses like Nursing.

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In-Person Support Centers

According to the MEC, physical centers will need to have:

Reception;
Computer room;
Service area;
Equipped laboratories (depending on the course).
The sharing of centers between institutions will be prohibited, even in smaller cities.

Impact on Institutions

The private sector warns that MEC’s changes could increase tuition fees and reduce access to higher education. Courses like Nursing, which have 40% of formations in distance learning, would be the most affected. In 2023, the course registered 193,000 online students – an increase of 1,830% since 2017.

While the MEC defends the need for regulation to ensure quality, private institutions are pushing for more dialogue. The expectation is that the final framework will maintain the main rules, only adjusting details.

Ministry of Education Proposes Distance Education Reform with In-Person Exams and Attendance Control, Understand the Changes and Impacts for Courses Like Nursing

MEC Proposal Includes In-Person Exams, Live Classes with Mandatory Attendance, and New Rules for Centers; Private Sector Criticizes Increased Costs.