Brazilian Higher Education Policies, The ETHOS and the role of the University

Brazilian universities, as well as educational system in a great deal of Latin American countries, are experiencing a significant process of transition. They are facing several challenges posed by new education policy settings, mainly higher education ones on the one hand and by social and economic changes on the other. In this paper some insights about this process during the past two decades in Brazil are stressed, emphasizing the results of education policies and their impact on higher education. We study the current state of Brazilian university during FHC (1994-2001) and Lula da Silva (2002-2006) governments. It is argued that the process through which Brazilian university is evolving requires a new rationale and purposes, in effect a change of paradigm to allow a better approach to university state and help designing innovative policies. The achievement of these proposals in education may be possible by adopting a transdisciplinary approach. Keywords: University, paradigm, transdisciplinary, higher education, education policies "It is in rebellion rather than in resignation facing injustice that we affirm ourselves." Paulo Freire