“The [Education] Minister did nothing wrong, and the rector did nothing wrong either. Therefore, I think neither the minister nor the rector needs to resign. The director of the Faculty of Medicine made a significant mistake, which was communicating to students that they were admitted when the list had not been validated or approved by the rector,” stated Luís Marques Mendes.
The presidential candidate spoke to journalists after visiting the Luiz Pereira Motta Association in Loures, when he was questioned about the controversy surrounding the statements by the rector of the University of Porto, who told Expresso he had received pressure from several “influential people,” without naming them, to allow 30 candidates who did not meet the minimum required score in the special entrance competition for the Integrated Master’s in Medicine.
After accusing rector António Sousa Pereira of lying on Friday, Minister Fernando Alexandre said today that the matter “is closed,” stressing that in light of what happened, “irregularities must have consequences within the institution” and that if the rector of the University of Porto presents his resignation, he will accept it.
According to Luís Marques Mendes, it is the director of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, Altamiro da Costa Pereira, who must “reflect on his actions.”
“It is a fault that created expectations and harmed the lives of students, and now who is going to resolve this situation? The director needs to reflect on his actions and decide what to do,” he considered.
The former PSD leader insisted that, in his opinion, both the minister and the rector “did nothing wrong.”
“Perhaps there was a mistake, it seems, from the known data, by the director of the Faculty of Medicine, who created the expectation in several students that they would enter, when the rector had not yet made the decision that only he could make,” he emphasized.
The candidates for the special entrance competition for the Integrated Master’s in Medicine at the University of Porto (U.Porto) confessed to feeling aggrieved by the University of Porto, stating that they had changed cities, abandoned years-long jobs, invested in properties, and dropped out of master’s programs.
The case prompted the PSD, PS, IL, Livre, and BE to request parliamentary hearings on this matter, and Chega stated that it would request clarifications from the minister.
