The release of the results of the first phase of the CNAES, which showed that this was the year in which the fewest students were placed, led student associations and higher education institutions to call on the government to review the rules again.
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The Minister of Education refused, this Wednesday, to change the rules for completing secondary education and accessing higher education, despite acknowledging that it was the recent changes that caused a decrease in students placed in higher education.
For the Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, the decrease in students placed in the first phase of the National Higher Education Access Exam (CNAES) "is worrying" and is related to "the change in exam rules", which made it mandatory to take three national exams to finish the 12th year and at least two exams to compete for higher education.
These changes were decided in 2023 by then minister João Costa and for the current ministerial team they go "in the right direction".
"It doesn't make sense to change the rules again. We are for stability," said Fernando Alexandre, emphasizing that the current model is "a guarantee of quality."
The release of the results of the first phase of the CNAES, which showed that this was the year in which the fewest students were placed, led student associations and higher education institutions to call on the government to review the rules again.
"National exams are an essential instrument"
The minister said that "the exams will continue", noting that the results of the last two phases of the CNAES are still to be known, believing that "thousands of students" will be placed.
"National exams are an essential tool for ensuring the assessment of learning," and without them it is impossible to identify which "schools are functioning well and which are functioning poorly," he explained in statements to journalists at the end of a negotiation meeting with unions.
Regarding a new access model, the minister admits that there may be "a major national discussion" in the future to rethink changes, recognizing that some higher education institutions located in the interior were greatly affected by the decrease in students.
"The reduction was highly concentrated in a group of institutions that are essential to the country's development and cohesion. These institutions are in a situation of low population density, located in the interior, and are essential development hubs," said Fernando Alexandre, expressing his willingness to discuss new strategies with these institutions.
Minister denies relationship between placements and housing prices
Another reason cited by students and institutions for the reduction in the number of applicants for higher education is the cost to families of having a child studying away from home, with accommodation being the most significant expense in this calculation.
However, for Fernando Alexandre there is no relationship between placements and accommodation prices.
Regarding the progress of the National Plan for Higher Education Accommodation (PNAES), he said that "it is not behind schedule" and revealed that more beds will be opened very soon.
"Now at the beginning of the academic year, around 500 beds will be opened in Beja, another 200 at Universidade Nova and 200 at ISCTE," he said, hoping to have "another 19,000 beds in a year's time."
When asked by journalists about possible difficulties in implementing the ban on the use of smartphones in the 1st and 2nd cycles, the minister assured that the measure "was very well received" by schools and that the evaluation of this ban revealed "positive effects on learning".