Africa-Press – Cape verde. Youth for Democracy (JpD) today categorically refuted JPAI’s statements about the situation of higher education in Cape Verde and reiterated that there is no decrease in the number of students in the aforementioned education sector.
JpD denies a decrease in the number of students in higher education and contradicts figures from the PAICV counterpart
JpD’s position was expressed by member of the National Board Cleidira Moreira, at a press conference in Praia, in reaction to statements by PAICV Youth (JPAI) that only 9.0 percent (%) of the population has training higher education, having warned of the “sharp decrease” in the number of students in the country’s universities.
“We categorically refute the information presented by JPAI, which has no factual basis and appears as mere conjecture. It is essential to use reliable sources, and data provided by the Ministry of Education and the Higher Education Regulation Agency indicate the existence of approximately 10 thousand enrolled students”, he highlighted.
He highlighted that these numbers are still provisional and may undergo changes, “with a tendency to increase”, assuring “with conviction”, as he said, that there is no decrease in the number of students in higher education and that the numbers pointed out by JPAI “only exist in the head” of said youth.
JPAI’s arguments, he stressed, become “irrelevant” when one observes that it is under the management of the current Government, indicating that there are currently approximately 3,700 active scholarship holders in higher education, representing a state investment of more than 530 thousand contos/year.
He highlighted the Government’s actions aimed at supporting students to pay off their debts at universities and, consequently, to unlock their certificates, indicating that, annually, “around a thousand beneficiaries” are covered by this initiative.
“This Government, through the Ministry of Education, has shown unconditional support for university students, ensuring timely transfers of scholarships. The aim? Let students focus on their studies and not on financial issues”, he stated, recalling that it was the MpD Government that resolved the issue of 800 students with withheld certificates, a consequence of the “lack of commitment” of the previous government, politically supported by PAICV .
Regarding the issue raised by JPAI about the increase in young people studying abroad, Cleidira Moreira considered that each young person has the right to choose where they want to study, highlighting that if today there are more places in foreign universities for Cape Verdeans it is the result of a “ effective diplomacy.”
This official also highlighted the “vital importance” of higher education for an emerging nation like Cape Verde, recognizing all the efforts of the MpD Government to align higher education with international standards.
“Cape Verde, in the last seven years, in addition to investing in higher education, has focused intensely on the massification of professional training and specific technical courses, with great potential for employability. We highlight, as examples, technical courses in the maritime sector and programming courses”, he added.
Cleidira Moreira urged JPAI to adopt political positions based on “solid arguments” and supported by “credible data”, instead of resorting to “the usual populism to which it has often become accustomed”. The Week with Inforpress
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