The Jeová Rafá Theological Institute (Portuguese: ''Instituto Teológico Jeová Rafá'') is an independent non-denominational institution of

higher education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

in Itapipoca, Ceará State (CE), in northeast

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. It is one of a significant number of

Evangelical Christian Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

educational institutions in Brazil offering theological qualifications primarily by

distance learning Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance; today, it usually involves online ...

. The institute offers online courses ranging from foundation, bachelors, masters, to doctoral degrees.

History and accreditation

The Jeová Rafá Theological Institute, also known as ITEF, was founded in 2015 and is currently led by its director, Rev'd Dr Clesilvio de Castro Sousa. Its qualifications are recognised under Brazilian law as "free" (exempt) courses (or '' cursos livres'' in Portuguese) not requiring specific recognition by the MEC (''Ministério da Educação''), the Brazilian Ministry of Education. The laws regulating ''cursos livres'' apply to a wide range of vocational and distance learning courses. Examples include courses for languages, security, and IT. In the case of courses designated for the exercise of religious ministry and religious education the exempt qualifications are defined by the legal term ''interna corporis,'' or for 'in-house' use within a social entity, such as a church or seminary. MEC - Cursos de Extensão (Distance Learning), http://www.brasil.gov.br/educacao/2011/02/extensao accessed 29 February 2020

References

{{authority control Higher education in Brazil Universities in Brazil Protestantism in Brazil