EDUCATION IS THE DRIVER THAT TRANSFORMS SOCIETY

talk with Prof. Arlindo Oliveira

This happens at the macro level of the society – as the most advanced countries in the world are the countries that on average have the most educated population; but it is also true at the individual level – as education has a relevant impact on the standard of living of each individual and has traditionally been the social lifter. 

In Portugal, because we are at the tail end of the developed countries, it is important to see education as a priority, as a booster of the country's development. There are concrete examples of the importance of investing in education: "all the countries that invested in education as a priority have succeeded in raising their standard of living substantially, e.g. South Korea, Japan, and other countries that were not so rich some time ago, have managed to boost their development by investing in education.

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Takeways

This happens on a macro scale, since "the most advanced countries in the world are the countries with the most educated average population", but also on an individual scale, since education raises the standard of living and promotes social advancement.

but "education pushes more economy". The way to enhance this virtuous cycle "is to invest in education as one of the national priorities", at all levels and in all areas. Obviously, the technological area has a very direct bearing on foreign investment.

but it remains crucial "that young people have incentives and conditions to continue studying as much as possible". In addition, we have to have a solution for the middle age group, because we have "a large fraction of the working age population who do not have the basic skills to meet the challenges of today's society".

should be used in Education. In the "requalification of the middle and less educated age group, but also of the youngest who work in sectors that will be seriously affected".

on one hand the "demographic reduction": fewer students in the system, means older teachers who "adopt new methodologies and new teaching areas more slowly and with greater difficulty". On the other hand, “budgetary pressure from the country makes it difficult to invest in teaching experiments that require new methodologies, new areas and new teaching equipment".

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