This article analyzes the decline of Brazilian university system due to the neoliberal policies. It consists of two parts, which are tightly connected. The first part gives us a contextualization and a theoretical approach of the problem, based on a short historical introduction in which the author emphasizes some of the factors which influenced the development of higher education during the colonial, imperial and republican period. According to the vision of several authors, it analyzes polemic aspects and chronicles about the Brazilian university. The second part contains a description of the methodology that have been used for this research, for which the object of study were the teachers, students and civil servants at the federal universities within the state of Rio Grande do Sul. It also gives an overview of the proceedings and and some of the inferences that are made possible by this study as a basis for analysis and reflexion.

Este trabajo analiza el declive de la universidad brasileña ante las políticas neoliberales. Está dividido en dos partes. En la primera se contextualiza y teoriza sobre la problemática de la universidad de Brasil; inicia con una breve introducción histórica en la que se enfatizan algunos factores que intervinieron en el desarrollo de la educación superior en los periodos colonial, imperial y republicano. Siguiendo la óptica de diferentes autores, analiza cuestiones polémicas y crónicas de la universidad brasileña. En la segunda parte se describe la metodología utilizada en la investigación, cuya población fueron los docentes, alumnos y funcionarios de las universidades federales situadas en el estado de Río Grande del Sur. También se describen los procedimientos y se ofrece al lector algunas inferencias derivadas de este estudio, para el análisis y la reflexión.

The purpose of this paper is to put distance education within the context of today's society with the benefit of a historical hindsight. It analyses the mega-universities, the expansion, the technology and the technological ressources that can be used; the advantages and disadvantages, the crucial points, the challenges and the future of this teaching system, as well as the possibilities that this education system offers for the democratization of education.

Este estudio sitúa la educación a distancia dentro del contexto de la sociedad actual, a través de una retrospectiva histórica. Analiza las megauniversidades, la expansión, la tecnología y los recursos tecnológicos utilizados; las ventajas, las desventajas, los puntos neurálgicos, los desafíos y perspectivas de ese sistema de enseñanza, así como la posibilidad de que esa modalidad de educación democratice la enseñanza.

Dentro do atual contexto político, a formação de blocos econômicos é uma premissa para que as nações se desenvolvam e possam enfrentar o cotidiano. Este artigo analisa a educação no Mercosul sob o olhar econômico, científico/tecnológico, cultural e do meio ambiente. São apresentadas algumas considerações finais para que o leitor reflita sobre a conjuntura atual do binômio educação/globalização e sua complexidade.

The arrangement of economic clusters of countries is a trend of these years, in order to face the challenges of the development. This article analyses the education within Mercosul, under the point of view of economy, science/technology, culture, and environment. At the final part, the reader is invited to a reflection about the actual circumstances of education within the globalization and the complexities of this matter.