دانلود رایگان مقاله افزایش مبانی اجتماعی تحصیلات عالی درس گسترش سیستم پشتیبانی اجتماعی

abstract

The challenge of enlarging the social basis of higher education during a period of recession and economic and budgetary problems is discussed with particular reference to Portugal in terms of extending a social support system for low-income students through a risk-sharing loan scheme introduced in 2007. The social support system in Portugal, which was significantly enlarged until 2010 to cover more than 20% of the total higher education population (i.e., about 70 thousand students), has been considered a rather successful and relevant policy tool for opening up access to higher education. On the other hand, in its initial years of operation, the new system of student loans was characterized by a low penetration rate, with a total of about 21 thousand student loans being issued in the period 2007–2014. However, it has been very relevant because it has facilitated the introduction of a “new culture” of investment in higher education. The new system involves a risk-sharing scheme with a mutual guarantee underwritten by the State involving the banking industry. It follows the practice of mortgagetype student loans in other countries but includes an innovative element of mutuality, which was key to making use of private finance at a time when a further extension of public funds was impossible. It complements existing social support grants, rather than replacing them, and hence improves equity in access to higher education by extending students' options. Its low take-up rate can be attributed to: i) the relatively large penetration and number of advantages of the public social support system; ii) student and family concerns over defaults; and iii) restrictions by the lending institutions in association with the financial crisis, which have had particularly large implications for the banking industry.

4. Discussion: student support systems in Portugal, 2007–2014 — the critical role of social support schemes and the low take-up rate of loans

The student loan scheme described above was launched in Portugal with an initial public capitalization of M€1.5 for the 2007–08 academic year, which served to capitalize the Mutual Counter-Guarantee Fund (FCGM) and assure the public guarantees given to participating banks. Table 1 shows that 3351 loans were issued by the end of that academic year, representing about M€36.8 of contracted loans (for the complete period of the loans), of which M€34.9 were effectively used. By the end of the second academic year (i.e., 2008–09), 7.207 loans were issued by the banking sector, with a contracted amount of loans of about €M80.9 for the complete period of the loans, which were guaranteed through a public capitalization of about M€4.4.