Students at Universidade Lisboa express “huge dismay” at the extinction of the Ministry of Higher Education

This Friday, the Academic Association of the University of Lisbon expressed its dismay at the extinction of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, considering that it constitutes “a step back” in the valorization of the knowledge economy and higher education.

In an open letter addressed to the prime minister-designate, Luís Montenegro, the general director of the association, which represents the collective interests of more than 52,000 students at the country’s largest university, calls for the disintegration of the announced Ministry and the maintenance of the Ministry of Education and of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education.

Expressing their “enormous consternation”, the students argue that it is not possible “a single minister, regardless of his individual political quality or the Secretaries of State under his supervision, can manage this important area of ​​governance in a reformist manner, in parallel with several challenging portfolios, thus framed in a ‘super ministry'”.

Despite agreeing with the need for “a concerted national strategy for Education”, the Academic Association of the University of Lisbon (AAUL) considers that “the different teaching cycles in Portugal need a personalized response to the various problems that exist”.

“Moreover, we fear that the merger of these two ministries could severely impact the Government’s ability to carry out the necessary reforms in our Higher Education”highlights the association in the letter released through a statement.