The Directorate General of Higher Education has signed a protocol with the Mutual Association of Montepio to provide accommodation at controlled prices for displaced students attending higher education starting this academic year.
The signing of this agreement is part of the collaboration established between the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education and several representative structures of hotels and local accommodation units, following the agreements already established or renewed this year with Movijovem, AHRESP – Associação da Hotelaria, Restauração e Similares de Portugal, AHP – Associação da Hotelaria de Portugal, APHORT – Associação Portuguesa de Hotelaria, Restauração e Turismo and ALEP – Associação do Alojamento Local em Portugal.
Given the urgent need for innovative solutions to increase the installed capacity of student residences owned by universities and polytechnic institutes, the Directorate-General for Higher Education has established protocols with various public, private and social sector entities.
On the occasion of the signing of the agreement, the Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Elvira Fortunato, stressed the importance of this moment, stating that “providing dignified and affordable housing for students who are displaced from their place of residence is essential and a priority for widening and democratizing access to higher education”.
He also pointed out that this initiative is part of a larger framework of projects that are part of the National Plan for Higher Education Accommodation (PNAES), whose goal is to provide more than 26 thousand beds for the student population by the end of this legislature.
