“The Scientific Council of the Faculty of Medicine holds the statutory authority to create the regulation. Therefore, as long as they present a regulation that adheres to the law, I see no reason to hinder it,” stated the rector of the University of Porto, António de Sousa Pereira.
The controversy over the special admission process to the Integrated Master’s in Medicine at the University of Porto emerged publicly in September when the rector reported receiving pressures from influential individuals to allow the admission of 30 candidates who had not achieved the minimum required score of 14 in the special entrance exam.
During this process, 30 people received an email from the Faculty of Medicine confirming their admission, though this was not ratified by the rector.
Outside the seminar on Border Security and Migration Flow Management, commemorating the 17th anniversary of the GNR’s Coastal and Border Control Unit, the rector explained that he only needs to verify the legality of the proposed regulation changes.
“I only need to verify the legality of the modification if proposed, nothing more. They have full autonomy for this,” added António de Sousa Pereira.
Commenting on the fact that most of the 30 candidates involved filed a court case on October 15, the rector noted it is “their right.”
“They feel wronged by an error and believe they have certain rights. That’s exactly why courts exist in civilized countries – for people to assert the rights they believe they have,” he stated.
The action was filed in court on October 15, confirmed Paulo Veiga e Moura, attorney for 24 candidates who were ultimately not admitted, despite receiving contradictory notices from the Faculty of Medicine.
The candidates expressed feeling wronged by the University of Porto, citing significant life changes they made, including relocation and leaving jobs, which were influenced by their belief in the admissions notice.
In September, the Academic Federation of Porto demanded an “internal investigation” to clarify why the Faculty’s director informed 30 students of their admission without the rector’s approval.
The director of the Faculty of Medicine, Altamiro da Costa Pereira, acknowledged on September 23 before the parliamentary commission on Education and Science that a staffer mistakenly labeled the admissions notice as “approved” instead of “ratified”.
In 2019, 37 candidates entered through this special process with scores below 14, without any issue noted, stated Altamiro da Costa Pereira. He explained the special process was designed to recruit medical students from diverse academic backgrounds with added maturity.
On September 18, the Attorney General’s Office confirmed an ongoing investigation in the Public Prosecutor’s Office related to this case of 30 medical course candidates at the University of Porto.
