Green-­Paper: The State and Challenges of OER in Brazil: From Readers to Writers?

Abstract

The paper map the Open Educational Resources efforts in Brazil, understanding the role they play in the educational context and if they are developed under a consistent educational policy. Questions of how educational policy is favorable to OER, and how much public funding flows into educational materials (mainly textbooks) are discussed. The paper starts with a brief introduction of how the concept of Open Educational Resources dialogues with the concept of development. The second portion explores the state of education in Brazil, its policy governance, structures and institutions. The third section is focused on an analysis of Brazilian educational projects as fulfilling or not the concept of Open Educational Resources as understood by UNESCO and under the principles of the Cape Town Declaration on Open Education. The fourth section is focused on the issue of textbooks in Brazil, analyzing public policies and governmental purchase programs, and also the challenges faced for the equivalent to the K-12 level and to the college level, also touching on the flow of public investments into the production and distribution of textbooks. Finally, a series of policy recommendations is drawn for further discussion.

Keywords: Open Educational Resources, Copyright, Brazil, Public Policy, Education, Openess

JEL Classification: K11, N36, H52, I2