Between the campus and the screen: the dilemma regarding democratization and quality in Social Work education

Abstract

The study analyzes the growing dominance of Distance Education (DE) in Brazilian Higher Education and the debate regarding its capacity to promote democratization with quality. The central problem investigated is the incompatibility of DE with Social Work education, a profession that requires the development of a critical and interventive praxis through face-to-face experiences and direct supervision. The study was conducted based on Historical and Dialectical Materialism, utilizing bibliographic research and document analysis of educational policy texts related to the theme. The research points out that, although DE offers access to the working class, it often translates into precarious training, lacking the quality necessary for professional practice. As a main finding, the text argues that the true democratization of Higher Education lies not in the expansion of DE, but in the strengthening of the in-person public university through affirmative action policies and student support, which guarantee not only enrollment but also retention and the comprehensive education of students.