The Portuguese Council of Rectors (CRUP) is following with great attention and concern the approval, in plenary session of the Portuguese Parliament, of the revision of the Legal Framework for Higher Education Institutions (RJIES), a cornerstone piece of legislation for the future of Portuguese higher education.<\/p>\n
Throughout the legislative process, CRUP participated actively and constructively in the public discussion of the proposal, submitting contributions grounded in the experience of Portuguese universities and in the conviction that strengthening the national scientific and academic system requires institutions that are more autonomous, competitive, and capable of responding to the contemporary challenges of knowledge, innovation, and societal qualification.<\/p>\n
CRUP acknowledges positive aspects in the legislation now approved, namely the intention to strengthen the autonomy of higher education institutions, an essential principle for the international standing of Portuguese universities and for a more effective, flexible, and responsible management of their missions. The emphasis placed on student well-being, including attention to mental health, as well as the encouragement of new forms of institutional cooperation, also constitute important signs of system modernisation.<\/p>\n
However, the Council considers that the revision of the RJIES falls short of what is necessary in decisive areas for the effective strengthening of university autonomy, particularly in financial, patrimonial, budgetary, and human resources management matters. Constraints remain that limit the strategic capacity of institutions and fail to fully reflect the demands of an internationally competitive higher education system.<\/p>\n
CRUP also expresses significant reservations regarding certain provisions contained in the legislation. Among them is the excessive complexity of the model envisaged for the election of Rectors, whose implementation raises doubts concerning its feasibility, representativeness, and institutional stability.<\/p>\n
The Council further warns of the risks associated with the dilution of the binary system, namely due to the disappearance of objective and quantifiable criteria for defining and potentially altering the type of institution. This change may generate discretionality, inconsistency over time, uncertainty for students, and a lowering of the standards associated with each subsystem.<\/p>\n
These concerns are aggravated by the possibility of granting university status to institutions that do not offer a minimum number of accredited doctoral programmes nor conduct research within consolidated and recognised research units. CRUP considers that this solution introduces unnecessary confusion between universities and polytechnic universities, distancing the Portuguese system from European and international benchmarks.<\/p>\n
The Council also expresses concern regarding the opening of programme accreditation to multiple foreign agencies without sufficient guarantees of alignment with national criteria and with the realities of Portuguese higher education, a situation that may undermine the confidence of students, families, and employers in the quality of the programmes offered.<\/p>\n
Likewise, the proposed configuration of the Student Ombudsperson raises doubts as to the suitability of the model to the organisational diversity of Portuguese higher education institutions.<\/p>\n
Finally, CRUP points to the existence of inconsistencies and normative ambiguities that should be clarified during the specialised legislative review and harmonisation process, hoping that the subsequent technical and legal work will make it possible to improve the legislation and eliminate ambiguities liable to hinder its future implementation.<\/p>\n
Over recent decades, Portuguese universities have demonstrated a remarkable capacity for transformation, internationalisation, and service to the country. The new RJIES should represent an opportunity to deepen this path, strengthening trust in institutions, valuing their diversity, and ensuring governance conditions compatible with the public responsibility entrusted to them.<\/p>\n
CRUP therefore reaffirms its full willingness to continue collaborating with legislative and governmental bodies in improving the legal framework for higher education, with the aim of ensuring a more cohesive, autonomous, demanding, and better-prepared system capable of responding to the national and European challenges of the coming decades.<\/p>\n
Council of Rectors of Portuguese Universities,<\/p>\n
May, 18th, \u00a02026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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