António Sampaio da Nóvoa received the title of Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of the Algarve. In the speeches of António Branco, José Barata Moura, who sponsored the new UAlg Doctor, and Sampaio da Nóvoa, the state of education was the guideline for the three interventions, with criticism from all of them.
The rector of UAlg António Branco highlighted «the example of academic autonomy that the University of Algarve set when, along the long road traveled until we got here, it was successively approved in all the Scientific Councils of the Faculties and Schools and, finally, in the Academic Senate, the proposal to award the title of honorary doctor to Professor António Nóvoa, initially deliberated, by unanimity and acclamation».
Branco highlighted "the high degree of individual autonomy of each of the members of the Academy who was called to speak" - about 200 members - an aspect that the rector admires in a University: "their ability to resist, in certain historical moments , to interference in the decisions it takes, of criteria foreign to its nature and its role».
António Sampaio da Nóvoa recently announced his candidacy for President of the Republic, but the UAlg rector recalled that the decision process on the award of the doctorate Honorary took place between “July 2014 and March 18, 2015”.
The lack of financial resources of the Universities was one of the criticisms made by António Branco, who stated that the appointment of Sampaio da Nóvoa is «a clean and sharp way of reinforcing, before society, the role that, despite the extreme scarcity of resources, that we have come to be subjects and the orientations that permanently intend to move us away from what is essential, we do not give up wanting to perform, because we do not give up on ourselves, because we will never give up on Education».
(Read the full speech of the Rector of the University of Algarve here)
José Barata Moura, in his speech of praise for Sampaio da Nóvoa, recalled the academic work of the new doctor Honorary, in a humorous way that provoked smiles in the audience. The “godfather” quoted several texts by Sampaio da Nóvoa, about his vision of what society and education should be, and criticized the fact that “our world of Education and Teaching is full of tablets and posters that, indicating where to look, meanwhile hinder our vision».
(The complete speech by José Barata Moura here)
In turn, Sampaio da Nóvoa considered that yesterday was one of the «most important» of his academic life and praised António Branco, in whom he recognized «the “best” that exists at the University».
He also criticized «the call for a permanent competition, the rankings so often perverse, to an academic life dominated by absurd metrics for evaluating professors and researchers».
Sampaio da Nóvoa also defended that “knowledge is at the base of XNUMXst century societies and innovation processes depend on it”.
So says the new Doctor Honoris Causa from UAlg that «we need to link the university to society, because it is in this link that the future of Portugal lies».
(The complete speech of Sampaio da Nóvoa available here).
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