“The Left Bloc will block and wants to block this change in the higher education financing model, and therefore, in the State Budget, we will present a proposal to halt the increase in tuition fees,” stated former deputy Joana Mortágua.
Speaking to journalists in parliament, the BE leader called on all parties to support this proposal.
“We challenge all parties, all parliamentary groups, all deputies to vote in favor of this proposal and to, once again, halt the increase in tuition fees in Portugal and the change in the higher education financing model that will make higher education more elitist and will make it, above all, more burdensome for families who have to pay the high cost of living, who have to pay for student accommodation, and for whom having a college student already weighs heavily on the family budget,” she said.
Joana Mortágua argued that currently, students face a “context of difficulty in entering higher education” and accused the Government of “going against a path that was being taken to reduce tuition fees, which the left had imposed on the Socialist Party with the aim of reaching zero tuition fees.”
The BE leader also accused the Government of wanting to “settle scores against students, settle scores against the idea of democratic, universal higher education for all, settle scores against the left that was imposing on the PS the reduction of tuition fees.”
“The second reason for the tuition fee increase is a change in the higher education financing model, and it is against this that students have already promised to protest, with the support of the Left Bloc,” she indicated.
The Government will unfreeze, from the academic year 2026/2027, the value of undergraduate tuition fees, which has not changed since 2020 and will rise from 697 to 710 euros, announced the Minister of Education on Tuesday.
“The Government will also include in the State Budget Law proposal for 2026 the update of undergraduate tuition fees based on the inflation rate of 2025,” announced Fernando Alexandre.
