VOICES FROM THE SECTOR: EDUCATION
What are some of the university network's main strengths, and how have they evolved over the years?
The first school we opened overseas was a higher polytechnic university institute in Mozambique. When we acquired the Ensinus Group in Portugal, one of its schools was also in Mozambique, and at present, it belongs to the Lusofóna Group. We want to expand in all the countries we are present in. There are provinces in Angola that are bigger than Portugal, though they have no graduates. With that in mind, since 1991, we have provided scholarships for students from these countries, especially Angola. In the first few years, hundreds of students were granted scholarships, and at present, over 2,000 students from these countries are studying here, and the number continues to grow annually.
What are the main objectives and vision for Grupo Lusófona for the next few years?
We will continue our expansion strategy. If the trend continues, then the country that will grow the most in the short term is Angola. It is necessary for Angola to stabilize its growth process, and we are convinced that it will do so and result in huge growth. We have a school in Angola, where around 5,000 students are currently enrolled and another 1,000 join the school every year. We also plan to open a university in Luanda that we aim to turn into a big university in Angola, given the country's size.
What have been some of the university's milestones?
UAb intends to promote leadership and innovation through distance education in the Portuguese language. We are talking about a population of 260 million around the world that should reach 400 million by the end of the century. In the future, all institutions will in one way or another adopt distance education, and open universities are a lab for developing the main ideas to innovate and promote new ways to do technology-based education. Digital communities are multicultural, with people living in different countries across the world, participating in the same group of learning. UAb promotes education with this multicultural view of the world.
Can you tell us more about the university networking?
The university has been developing local learning centers in Portugal and abroad supported by a digital pedagogical model. For us, distance education works in a collaborative space. At present, we have 19 local learning centers in Portugal and one in Mozambique. We also have more than 60 examination facilities worldwide where UAb students hold exams twice a year. Equally important, we cooperate with provincial and non-provincial universities, including a consortium with the University of Coimbra, and offer masters and PhD level programs together with other Portuguese universities, like the University of Algarve, the University of Lisbon, and the Instituto Superior Técnico. Besides, we have been working with the University of Cape Verde and Universidade Católica of Mozambique, among others. We collaborate to promote teacher and student mobility, either presence-based (mainly within Erasmus+) or virtually, especially with universities in Latin America and in the Portuguese-speaking countries.
St. Julian's School has been offering an outstanding education since 1932. What have been the main achievements of the institute?
St Julian's is a school with real tradition, which we celebrate on a regular basis. The school has evolved in terms of student population, and also in terms of the number of nationalities we have; students from over 40 different nationalities currently represent the institution. We are accredited by the Council of International Schools (CIS) as well as by New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). In addition, I am a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC) and the school is an associate member of the Council of British International Schools (COBIS).
What is the breakdown of the school's students?
The majority of the students are British and Portuguese and the rest are split between 40 other nationalities.
What are some of the school's main strengths and how have they evolved?
Two of the school's main strengths are its reputation for excellent academic results and the happy and secure environment that it provides. Our holistic approach enables us to create a stimulating environment, making sure our students are happy. The school has well-developed sports, arts, theater, and music programs that enable students to engage in activities that they are passionate about, in addition to the academic curricula on offer.
What sets the school apart from its competition?
In Portugal, we are the only British international school that offers a mix of several curricula (English National Curriculum, Portuguese National Curriculum, and the IB Diploma). We have a strong reputation in Portugal and the rest of the world, which is linked to our forward-thinking approach combined with strong tradition and heritage.
Can you tell us about the latest programs that will strengthen the competitiveness of the university?
During the last two years, ISEL has performed incredibly well in fundraising both from the private and the public sectors through competitive project calls. One of the most important projects we won in this area is the Hovione, a EUR1-million investment in a chemical lab for teaching and research activities. We have also pursued projects to support experimental digital teaching, including two computer labs, Lab4Mat and LabIT, equipped for teaching and research in specific areas of applied mathematics, networks, and communications. It is worth noting that Lab4Mat supports a new degree in applied mathematics that started recently in 2016 but has already established a strong position in the market due to its quality, originality, and adequacy to modern challenges. Another concern is the modernization of ISEL's digital and communications systems. This is a key issue for us but gladly, we recently received a EUR400,000-fund that will allow us to dematerialize and simplify our processes and activities related to academic, human resources, accounting, and document management. In energy efficiency, we are proud to be in the process of implementing a EUR2-million project over the next two years, which includes 11 areas of intervention, namely, lighting to LED, solar photovoltaics, roofs restoring, solar for the hot water system at the students residences, and replacing all the HVAC systems on campus.
What have been the institution's main achievements since its founding in 1973?
Universidade de Aveiro has evolved to become a mainstream institution that is currently listed on several major rankings. From the outset, our goals were to be an international institution and not just a national one and to contribute to the development of the region. We want to grow in the global context while having a local impact.
What opportunities does the university offer to foreign students?
Our university is a small- to medium-sized institution; however, we have around 90 different nationalities. In 2018, we received Erasmus students from 38 countries. We have to be active in terms of integration and guiding our foreign students through processes such as visas and accommodation. We recently created a new, one-stop, intercultural help desk service for people arriving from other countries.
What are your main partnerships with the private sector, and how have these evolved?
In 2017, we formed a significant number of new partnerships, and these will contribute enormously to our budget. In relative terms, those partnerships are becoming fairly significant overall and are something we pay close attention to. We have welcomed R&D companies such as Altice Labs, Nokia Siemens Networks, and Hitachi, and have worked on projects such as the Smart Green Homes project with Bosch.
VOICES FROM THE SECTOR: EDUCATION
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Focus: Community of Portuguese Language Speaking Countries
Making an Impact
Established in 1996, the Community of Portuguese Language Speaking Countries (CPLP) is a mechanism geared at linking and sharing the experience of Lusophone countries. Besides Portugal, this includes Brazil, Portugal, Cape Verde, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, and São Tomé and Príncipe.
read articleFocus
Don’t Mind the Disruption
Having won the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest, Lisbon hosted the 2018 event. The relevance? Well, the contest began back in 1956 as a showcase not only of song, but of then-nascent live television broadcast technology. Today, Portugal is on the cutting edge of new technological developments.
read articleInterview
João Pedro Soeiro de Matos Fernandes , Minister , Environment and Energy Transition
The Ministry for the Environment and Energy Transition is focusing on decarbonizing the economy, valuing the territory and its habitats, and striving for a more circular use of the country's resources.
read articleInterview
António Braz Costa , General Manager, Portuguese Technological Centre for the Textile & Clothing Industries (CITEVE)
CITEVE has transformed the industry by promoting value addition, adopting the latest technologies, and ensuring the highest standards of environmental sustainability.
read articleFocus: New airport
Right Time to Seize Missed Opportunities
Portugal has seen its air traffic figures increase by as much as 80% in the last five years. As a result, its transportation infrastructure, and Lisbon's airport in particular, cannot cope with the rising numbers. A new airport project that will turn a military base into a commercial airport is now under discussion to bring much-needed relief to air traffic.
read articleInterview
Germano de Sousa , President, Grupo Germano de Sousa
Grupo Germano de Sousa's success can best be summed up by its understanding that science and medicine only really progress when technological development is combined with a deeper respect for human values and professional ethics.
read articleInterview
Isabel Capeloa Gil , Rector, Universidade Católica
Having pioneered the introduction of multiple subject areas to Portugal's tertiary education scene, Universidade Católica is aspiring to establish the country's first private medical school and introduce cutting-edge digital transformation.
read articleInterview
Carlos Guillén Gestoso , President, Escola Universitária de Ciências Empresariais, Saúde, Tecnologias e Engenharia & President, Atlantica University
Atlantica University differentiates through its company-university model and an MBA program in partnership with the University of California, Berkley, among other initiatives, to produce practical theoreticians.
read articleFocus: Public teaching staff
An Age-old Problem
Over a decade of austerity measures combined with an ageing population have seen the average age of the Portuguese public teaching staff progressively climb to one of the highest in the OECD. With frozen salaries, an extended retirement age, and precarious working conditions, today the sector faces one of its biggest challenge yet.
read articleInterview
Pedro Queiroz , General Manager, Federation of the Portuguese Agri-Food Industry (FIPA)
Portugal's economic recovery has seen its F&B sector emerge with annual turnovers of EUR16 billion, thanks to FIPA's undeterred focus on stable policies, excellent nutrition standards, and sustainability.
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