The corporate governance model in higher education and the repercussions on teaching work: A case study

Abstract

This paper analyses the repercussions of the adoption of a corporative government model for professor work inside a higher education institute within the State of Pará, managerially organized as a university and belonging to Grupo Ser Educational S.A. since 2014. This case study adds to the analyses of report documents and of three semi-structured interviews with professors of the University of Amazônia/Ser Educacional to understand the changes that the selling of the university to the Grupo Ser Educacional brought to professor work, in terms of the learning activities, the work conditions, and the university management. The analyses reveal that incorporation of the professional management system guided by the model of corporative management brought changes in the pedagogical culture, collegiate management, and in the conditions of work. The results show conflict between the social and political roles of education, especially from the incorporation of a policy of austere pedagogical management, one in which the current corporate world demands from educational companies that use this model, characterized by the deep heteronomy of professor’s work, fragmentation and control of pedagogical work, as well as the impoverishment and loss of social recognition.