The Portuguese Association of Private Higher Education (APESP) accused the Government on Wednesday of “ideological discrimination” for maintaining the legal regime that prevents private institutions from recognizing academic titles and diplomas awarded by foreign universities.
It is crucial that in Portugal this discriminatory practice ends, allowing private institutions to recognize academic titles and higher education diplomas awarded by foreign higher education institutions, on equal terms with their state counterparts”, writes the president of the Association in a statement. .
The situation is not recent and it is not the first time that the APESP denounces it, since in April it presented to the Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Elvira Fortunato, a request to resolve what the association says is “ideological discrimination” . ”. ”.
At stake the legal regime for the recognition of academic titles and higher education diplomas granted by foreign higher education institutions, which establishes that the three forms of recognition (automatic, level and specific) must be requested from public universities or polytechnics.
According to APESP, this limitation exists despite the fact that the association itself is represented in the Commission for the Recognition of Foreign Degrees and Diplomas of the General Directorate of Higher Education and that private universities grant bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees.
They can award, but cannot assess and recognize, diplomas and academic titles from universities in other countries,” the statement said.
Quoted in the statement, the president of APESP considers that the situation is “unfair, arbitrary, anti-academic” and it results from a mainly ideological discrimination, which harms private universities and polytechnics.
The recognition of degrees and diplomas is an important procedure for academic mobility”, says António Almeida-Dias, underlining its importance in the access of foreign students to master’s degrees and doctorates, and for the hiring of foreign professors.
For example, in the case of “Erasmus Mundus” Masters, taught by international consortia of higher education institutions, students must have a first higher education degree or have a duly recognized equivalent level of studies.
This puts private higher education in an unfavorable situation when it comes to attracting foreign students, with special emphasis on master’s degrees and doctorates,” laments the president of APESP, who stresses that “private institutions are subject to the same operating requirements and to the same evaluation standards. than public higher education.
In addition to António Almeida-Dias, the rector of the Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa, who represents APESP in the Recognition Commission, also speaks of discrimination.
It makes no sense for a dean to be part of the Commission for the Recognition of Foreign Degrees and Diplomas and, at the same time, for his university to not be able to do that recognition,” says José Amado da Silva, quoted in the statement.
Source: Observadora
