The event, organised by the FEP Students’ Association, featured the participation of politicians, economists, and experts, who discussed the challenges and opportunities of education in Portugal.
The opening session was led by Pedro Duarte, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, followed by a debate on talent attraction and retention with Elisa Ferreira, former European Commissioner, and Álvaro Santos Pereira, OECD economist. During the session, Portugal’s difficulties in retaining qualified human resources were discussed, as well as the impact of centralisation on population distribution.
Elisa Ferreira pointed out that “in Europe, there is an excessive concentration in large cities, while other areas full of potential are accumulating abandonment and ageing.” Meanwhile, Mário Amorim Lopes, a deputy from the Liberal Initiative, reinforced the need to attract foreigners to fill the gap in qualified professionals.
In the final panel, Rui Moreira, Mayor of Porto, argued that decentralising universities could be a way to ease urban pressure and create more favourable conditions for higher education. According to the mayor, “access to housing is fundamental to helping solve the problems in higher education.”
The 3rd Education Summit reaffirmed the commitment of FEP and its students to promoting a qualified debate on education, contributing to the development of a more efficient and inclusive system.
