The process of expansion and democratization of access to higher education in Brazil has been the main concern of Luís Inácio Lula da Silva´s government agenda, its plans and programs. The Education Development Plan (PDE), gathering goals for basic education (Decree No. 6094 of April 24, 2007), the Directives for the process of integration of federal institutions of technological education for the constitution of the IFETS (Decree No. 6095 of April 24, 2007) and Decree No. 6096 of April 24, 2007, which instituted the plan for Restructuring and Expanding Federal Universities, knows as REUNI, are significant examples of this emphasis - objects of discussion of this article, whose purpose it is to point out the extent to which such actions effectively contributed to the achievement of the established goals, considering the structural contradictions of the capitalist system. The paper also presents some punctual considerations about the possibility of constructing a university in Brazil which does not exclude and which does promote democracy and universalization.
Brazilian university; Democratization; Universalization
