An open letter, signed by student associations from 10 higher education institutions, had already been delivered to the Ministry of Education, Science, and Innovation at the end of April. However, without responses, the students insisted again today.
“Given that we are at the beginning of the academic year and we are already seeing a set of issues occurring, and the solutions not corresponding to the interests of the students, we decided to deliver the letter,” explained the president of the student association of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at Nova University of Lisbon, one of the signatories, to Lusa.
At the door of the São Bento Palace, the official residence of the Prime Minister where the Council of Ministers meeting is taking place today, the students hoped to be received by a government representative, but left less than an hour later with frustrated expectations.
According to Guilherme Vaz, the objective was to leave a warning signal to the executive, just over a month before the State Budget proposal for 2025 is submitted to the Assembly of the Republic, and in light of the possible unfreezing of tuition fees, reported on Sunday by RTP, but without confirmation from the ministry.
“It’s something that worries us tremendously,” emphasized the student leader, warning that students will not accept setbacks and will respond “on the street.”
On the other hand, he adds, the problems outlined in the original text remain, from the lack of student housing and psychologists to the underfunding of institutions and the low representation of students in management bodies.
“The measures that the Government has taken do not address the concerns raised in the letter, which are the concerns of students across the country. The solutions presented are few or none, and those that exist do not provide a structural response,” he explained.
In the letter delivered in April, the students criticized the Government’s program, which they say opens a path to “deepening the privatization and commodification of higher education.”
Insisting on the end of tuition fees, taxes, and emoluments, “indisputable economic barriers in accessing and attending higher education and an attack on its public character,” they also advocate for increasing scholarship values and simplifying the application process, so that “it doesn’t drive students away from scholarships amidst so much bureaucracy.”
Regarding one of the main current problems – the lack of housing – students refuse to “depend on the private sector and its speculative nature” and demand that the State ensure public housing.
