Rectors promise “maximum attention” to the preparation of the Budget – Express

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The Council of Rectors of Portuguese Universities (Crup), who took the government commitment to the delivery of budgets on Tuesday, today reiterated “serious concerns about the stability and functioning of the entire university system “

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In a statement after the meeting Crup held in the afternoon, the rectors of the universities have raised concerns about the “accumulated in the past cuts and the announcement of further cuts, effective next year”

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Deans follow, so “with the maximum increased attention, all decisions will be taken on budgetary allocations for Higher Education”

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“The process of drafting the state budget for 2015 will continue to be closely monitored by the Crup, in order to verify if the amounts for the budgets of universities reflect the commitments made publicly by the authority, “reads the statement released after the extraordinary meeting on the afternoon of Monday.

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The deadline for public bodies to submit their estimates of revenue and expenditure, for the purpose of preparing the State Budget 2015, ended on Friday, with the universities and polytechnic institutes to claim more money, having assumed, with the Government, the delivery of the budget on Tuesday.

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For non-compliance of the period, the Directorate-General of Budget stipulates that the budget will be considered 2014, “with the adjustments the Ministry of Finance should find by entering”

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The proposal of state funding for higher education for the next year, announced a week ago by the Ministry of Education and Science, provides a global cut to 1.5%, corresponding to the coffers of universities and polytechnics input of 661 million and EUR 280 million, respectively.

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The higher education institutions complain of successive underfunding, which can threaten various commitments, such as staffing, support for research, maintenance of facilities and equipment and training supply

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