Eduardo Peres Alberto, speaking to Lusa, said that the union understands that the evaluation work carried out by the National Institute for Assessment, Accreditation and Recognition of Higher Education Studies was efficient, but was at fault due to the decisions taken to disapprove medicine and science courses. of health in public and private institutions due to poor quality.
For the trade unionist, the decisions are flawed, considering that “public institutions are patronized by the Government itself, the Angolan State”.
“Which means that it should be the Minister of Higher Education, the ministry, together with the holder of executive power to present serious investment projects, so that higher education institutions can actually gain the necessary quality”, he stressed.
According to the general secretary of Sinpes, the union has repeatedly stated that “higher education is the golden key for any nation”.
“Closing courses for two years, we think that this decision was a mistake, because what is needed is in fact investment to boost higher education institutions”, said Eduardo Peres Alberto, arguing that opting for this measure is “continuing with mediocrity”.
The Government evaluated 145 medicine and health sciences courses, from 58 public and private institutions, of which three of the nine medicine courses were accredited, as they met the minimum standards, and six were rejected for being below acceptable standards.
Of the 145 courses evaluated, a total of 83 were left out, and the admission of new students was suspended for a period of one year, to allow institutions to implement an improvement plan, said the Secretary of State for Higher Education, Eugênio Silva .
“We appeal to the Government of Angola, and in particular the Ministry of Higher Education, which must demand from managers of universities and organic units the immediate presentation of projects to enhance the institutions, creating conditions for laboratories, which are fundamental, libraries, [or be] a serious investment, that’s what we defend”, he said.
The union leader emphasized that the problems are old, arguing that the holder of executive power should have already welcomed the union to hear its concerns.
“Because the union is not an opposition political party and when good children manage to tell their parents the truth, they should be listened to and their advice heeded. We hope that the Government, the holder of executive power, can invite the union”, he added.
According to the secretary general of Sinpes, “the poor quality of higher education in Angola is a fact”, considering that the problem of courses also depends on serious investments for proper quality.
“This is what the union has said, this is what we defend with our heads held high, we are children of this country, we are not expatriates, and unfortunately, while the children of the land demand the conditions, they will look for expatriates to pay better, which is serious, a paradox”, he criticized.
For this academic year, which begins on September 30, 191,700 places were distributed to the 106 higher education institutions, 38,300 fewer places than those made available in the previous academic year.
