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State Government Launches More Than 18 Thousand Free Distance Education Positions in Partnership with the Ministry of Education (MEC) for 2024. These are undergraduate and graduate positions in various institutions. The initiative democratizes access to higher education and strengthens teacher training. Don’t miss this opportunity to attend college at no cost!
Do you dream of attending college for free? The Government of Ceará announced the expansion of access to higher education with 18,430 new positions for distance learning courses.
In partnership with the Ministry of Education and the Open University of Brazil (UAB) program, the state intends to further democratize higher education.
The launch was made this Friday (12). According to Governor Elmano de Freitas, the goal is to ensure public and free higher education for all residents of Ceará.
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“Our dream is for every municipality to have some higher education course, but this is a process. We are making significant investments in our universities, building campuses in various municipalities, but we also want to expand with distance education,” he emphasized.
Partnerships That Transform
The initiative, which covers 25 new municipalities, results from the partnership between the Government of Ceará and the MEC, through the UAB program, created in 2006. The UAB aims not only to democratize access to higher education but also to train teachers and professionals for basic education.
According to the governor, decentralization is crucial for the transition of students from basic education to higher education. In 2023, 22,531 young people from public schools in Ceará entered higher education. In 2024, 18,430 new EAD positions will be offered, with 11,090 for undergraduate and 7,010 for graduate courses.
Support Centers and Involved Institutions
Twenty-five new physical support centers will be implemented, reaching 65 cities. The participating institutions are: Ceará State University (Uece), State University of Vale do Acaraú (UVA), Regional University of Cariri (Urca), Federal Institute of Ceará (IFCE), Federal University of Cariri (UFCA), and the University of International Integration of Afro-Brazilian Lusophony (Unilab).
Sandra Monteiro, Secretary of Science, Technology and Higher Education (Secitece), emphasized that Ceará is a pioneer in this joint action. “The in-person operation of the courses will take place in university units, CVTs [Technology Vocational Centers], and partner locations of the Ceará Department of Education,” she explained.
Distribution of Positions
The Uece leads the offering with 6,560 positions. The distribution of the other positions is as follows:
| Institution | Positions |
|---|---|
| Uece | 6,560 |
| UVA | 3,210 |
| Urca | 1,530 |
| IFCE | 2,700 |
| UFCA | 2,300 |
| Unilab | 2,130 |
| Total | 18,430 |
Hidelbrando Soares, rector of Uece, celebrated the historic moment. “We are launching the largest number of positions for undergraduate and graduate courses in Ceará in the EAD modality. Uece consolidates itself as the largest public provider of distance higher education in the state,” he celebrated.
Luiz Lira, general coordinator of EAD Course Coordination at Capes, highlighted the importance of progress in Ceará. “There has already been training for 40,000 students from the UAB System in Ceará. With another 18,430 positions, we will have nearly 60,000 students. Nationally, we promote an expansion to over 290,000 positions, reaching nearly 450,000 students in the UAB System,” he emphasized.
Course Details
The UAB undergraduate EAD courses are conducted through virtual platforms with synchronous and asynchronous activities. So far, no information has been released about open enrollments.
It is important to highlight that there is a minimum requirement of 30% of the workload for in-person activities and that the support centers are essential for in-person pedagogical activities, where students have access to tutors, professors, libraries, and laboratories.
Do you think distance education can completely replace in-person education?
O Ensino a Distância é uma opção excelente, para quem trabalha né, ainda mais se a plataforma for bem explicativa, tem que está tudo certinho a batendo com o que você estuda, e a pessoa fica mais a vontade né.
O ensino a distância não é apenas uma saída para resolver o problema do ensino atual mas uma modalidade que em breve será a principal opção. É muito prático, econômico e nos possibilita ver e rever quantas vezes quisermos der terminado assunto. No meu ponto de vista será uma modalidade aperfeiçoada com uso da IA e nos colocará em um futuro não tão distante no primeiro mundo.
Sim