-
The Portuguese higher education system faces a number of important issues that the government is determined to tackle. These include financing of institutions and students, system steering, institutional autonomy, research and development, governance of the individual institutions, and participation of external stakeholders in governance and the binary system. These matters need to be addressed and resolved, for without doing so any nation – and Portugal is no exception – will be ill-prepared to keep pace in the knowledgebased economy.
-
-
Chapter 2 provides a portrait of higher education in Portugal, and illustrates the differences between universities and polytechnics. It describes challenges at the systemic level and discusses governance of the national system. The chapter explores the steering mechanisms for institutions, by examining programmes, students, funding and human resources. It describes Portugal’s goals, and proposes a National Council for Higher Education to help the country meet its goals. The proposed Council would negotiate institutional contracts and strengthen steering capacity that would help diversify the system.
-
In this chapter on governance, the review team looks at international trends in governance, before turning to the current situation in Portugal, in universities, polytechnics and the private sector. It examines challenges in the areas of autonomy, selfregulation and leadership. The chapter proposes a strengthening of the institutional level within universities and polytechnics, thereby reducing the number of relatively autonomous organisational units within the system.
-
This chapter looks at demographics and how labour markets drive the demand for higher education. It explains why higher education programmes will need to cater more effectively to two new groups of participants – an expanded cohort of school leavers and adult learners who want to upgrade their qualifications – if Portugal is to meet the needs of the economy in coming decades. It outlines a new role for polytechnics, and shows how the Bologna process can help higher education institutions to deliver quality.
-
Portugal suffers from low levels of R&D and innovation, especially in business R&D intensity. Cross-country evidence has shown that spending in this sector has the most direct long-run influence on economic growth. This chapter explores the role of research in helping a country to innovate. Portugal has launched a national strategy to bring about modernisation: the quality of its human resources and a more developed research system will bring the strategy to life.
-
Finance policies are the single most important steering mechanism in higher education. This chapter argues that funding practices should support decentralised decision making to the maximum extent possible, while promoting efficient and effective use of resources. Budget allocation and accountability metrics should maximise efficiency; ensure adequacy, stability and predictability in funding; and demonstrate internal and external accountability for performance.
-
-