|
Portugal's education system is divided into Pré-Escolar (children less than 6 years old), Ensino Básico (three phases in a total of 9 years), Ensino Secundário (secondary education - three years, several areas) and Ensino Superior (higher education - Universities and Poly technical Institutes). Education is free and compulsory for 9 years of study. A newly undertaken scheme will make education compulsory until the student becomes an adult (18 years old). The country still has a 6.7% illiteracy rate, almost exclusively among the elderly. The first Portuguese university – The Estudo Geral (General studies, today's University of Coimbra) - was created on March 1st, 1290 in Lisbon with the document Scientiae thesaurus mirabilis by King Denis. The university was transferred to Coimbra in 1308, though the university moved several times between the two cities until 1537. In 1559, the University of Évora was founded in Portugal by Cardinal Henry, future king of Portugal and Pope Paul IV and it was delivered to the Society of Jesus. In the 18th century Sebastião de Melo, Marquis of Pombal, closed the University of Évora, because he wanted to eliminate the Jesuit power in Portugal and in its empire. He also reformed the University of Coimbra. In 1837 two new higher learning schools were founded, the Escola Politécnica (Polytechnic School) in Lisbon and the Academia Politécnica in Porto. In the 19th century the industrialization created the need for new education institutions in the country, the "industrial studies". The prime-minister of the Kingdom, Fontes Pereira de Melo, founded in 1852 the Instituto Industrial de Lisboa (Institute of Industry, today's IST and ISEL) in Lisbon and the Escola Industral (School of Industry, today's ISEP) in Porto. In 1825, the Lisbon Royal School of Surgery and Porto Royal School of Surgery had also opened. With the advent of the republic, the polytechnic and surgery schools were incorporated as faculties into the newly created University of Lisbon and the University of Porto, that were both founded in 1911. The Lisbon Institute of Industry led to the creation of IST which was grouped with other existing institutions to constitute the Technical University of Lisbon in the 1930s. In the 1960s the first non-governmental institution opened, the Portuguese Catholic University. The 1970s marked a new era in Portugal's higher education with many universities and polytechnics opening in many cities, such as the University of Aveiro and the University of Minho in the university sub sector, and the Poly technical Institute of Lisbon and Poly technical Institute of Porto in the polytechnic sub sector Subsequently, several private institutions opened across the country. The Bologna process is being adopted to become effective before 2011. |
Portugal Information: Inside
|
