NRP Portugal

secondaryeducationstudentsattendingvocationalcourseshasincreasedfrom10%in2005 to 40% in 2008) to the launching of an ambitious programme for therequalificationofsecondaryschools(providingtheseeducationalestablishmentswithspacesthatrespondtocurrentandfuturerequirements,inaccordancewithmodernschool architecture standards). They also range from the supply, at a low cost, oflaptop computers with broadband Internet connections to 11th and 12th gradestudents (e.escola programme) and all teachers (e.professor programme, includingearlychildhoodteachers)totheapprovalofnewrulesforschoolmanagement,whichis now based on a new system for evaluating teachers (that includes monitoring ofclasses),whosecareerhasbeengivenahierarchybythecreationofthepositionoftenure teacher (which can only be reached by teachers who satisfy a set ofprerequisites). Furthermore, they range from the installation of more than 110,000computersin2ndand3rdcycleandsecondaryschools(sothatin2009therationoffivestudentspercomputercanbeachieved)totheextensionofschoolsocialactionsupport to secondary education students and the launching, in liaison with theMinistry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, of a tender for researchprojectsaboutsuccessatschool.Thesesetsofinitiatives(atotalof70)willcontinuetobecarriedoutinthenextthreeyearperiod (2008‐2010), considering the excellent results that have so far beenachieved.The School Libraries Programme, which has already been completed, is anotherexampleofputtinginpractice,consideringthatallthe2ndand3rdcycleschoolsnowboastthisimportantspaceformakingeducationalresourcesavailable.In the higher education policy field, continuity was given to the concretisation ofmeasures aiming to assure the goals defined in the PNACE are met, namely (i)guaranteeingthequalificationofthePortugueseintheareaoftheEuropeanUnion,implementing the Bologna process, a unique opportunity to stimulate highereducation attendance, improving the quality and relevance of training offered andfostering mobility and internationalisation, (ii) promoting equal opportunities in theaccess to higher education, improving attendance levels and conclusion of degreecourses, attracting new groups using a lifelong learning approach, broadening theinvolvement of higher education institutions in vocational training activities andpromotingschoolsocialaction,and(iii)promotingpost‐graduateeducation,especiallyatthePhDlevel.Hence,criticalmeasuresfortheprocessofreforminghighereducationhavebeenputintopracticeoverthelastthreeyearswithresultsthatarealreadyvisibleinsomemainindicatorsinthisfield.We should highlight that in the 2006‐2007 school year, the declining trend of newstudents in higher education was inverted (95,431 in 2006‐2007 against 84,363 in2004‐2005and82,720in2005‐2006).Thistrendwasaccentuatedin2007‐2008witha17%increaseinthenumberofnewstudentsenrolled(6,820more)onlyinthenationalcompetition for access to public higher education. Special emphasis falls onpolytechniceducationwherethegrowthreached24%.Consequently,in2007,forthe61