The parliamentary group of Livre has submitted a request for urgent hearings with Minister Fernando Alexandre and António Sousa Pereira.
This request follows reports that the rector of the University of Porto claimed to have been pressured by several “influential people,” without naming them, to admit 30 candidates who did not meet the minimum grade requirements for a special admission exam to the Faculty of Medicine.
The issue was reportedly brought to the attention of the Minister of Education, who expressed willingness to create extraordinary vacancies for these students.
At a press conference this afternoon, the Minister of Education expressed “enormous disappointment” with the rector of the University of Porto, accusing him of lying about the alleged pressures and stating he would accept his resignation if offered.
Fernando Alexandre emphasized that the problem was created by the university itself and revealed that it was the rector who contacted him.
Livre has expressed concerns, stating there are “more questions than answers” and stresses the need to understand how such a situation occurred and how to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
The BE party, through deputy Mariana Mortágua, also criticized the situation, asserting that restricting access to medical courses was a significant error. They emphasized that the shortage of doctors in the National Health Service cannot be resolved through exceptions or irregularities.
The need for clarity from both the Minister and the rector regarding this situation has been highlighted in the text presented to the Assembly.
Additionally, PSD, PS, and IL have called for parliamentary hearings on the matter, and Chega has announced plans to seek explanations from the minister.
