Higher education students demand a review of the regulations that award scholarships and which is causing students to lose the support that had been allocated to them. Although the new Minister of Education, Science and Innovation will only be sworn in this Tuesday, the students say that they will now request an urgent meeting from Fernando Alexandre.
Complaints have been received from academic associations from scholarship holders who, Because they live with their uncles or grandparents, social services are withdrawing support, even demanding the return of the money paid in the meantime.. The problem began at the beginning of the school year and, students say, it has been getting worse.
“At the moment, the cases amount to close to a hundred, at the University of Coimbra alone, which makes us reflect on whether, in fact, this reality is not putting obstacles in the way of many thousands of Portuguese higher education students”, says Renato Daniel, president of the Coimbra Academic Association.
“We need this problem resolved quickly. We are, in fact, very concerned about this issue”, highlights the student representative, recognizing that the country is going through “a delicate period of political instability and economic instability”. Renato Daniel argues, however, that it is at this point that “more scholarships” are needed and support that ensures that “there are no barriers or obstacles to attending higher education”.
The scholarship regulations, they admit, are not the only problem, but student leaders want a quick resolution to this issue, adding that, Contrary to what was said by the current Minister of Higher Education, the number of cases of affected students is not small nor has it been falling.
