Government Considers Shutting Down UTA to Streamline Resources

Statements by Arnaldo de Brito, made in São Vicente at the start of a visit as part of preparations for the upcoming academic year.

“And the question that arises is whether, thinking rationally, it makes sense for Cape Verde to have two public universities. This is the central issue. We are talking about two universities that, combined, have just over five thousand students. And, if we consider resource management, there are costs associated with infrastructure and the issue of quality—including the quality of the faculty. It’s not good to be at a small university; it’s not good because it will face difficulties in its development. The academic world demands a great deal of interaction. So, with a view to rationalizing resources, we are considering all possible scenarios,” he said.

Arnaldo de Brito was speaking to the press after a meeting with the mayor of São Vicente, at the start of a visit to the island. The minister cites a World Bank study on the sustainability of universities, which concludes that a university needs a population base of at least one million people to be sustainable.

“That’s not the case. Cape Verde has the population we know it has. It is very small. Fragmenting higher education institutions is not a good idea, especially if we want to uphold quality. First, we must consider the quality of the faculty. Because the quality of teaching will depend heavily on the quality of the faculty. With fragmented institutions—and consequently a fragmented, dispersed faculty—we will hardly be contributing to an environment that helps strengthen the faculty in the first place and ensures we have a faculty capable of promoting quality,” he points out.

“In a country like ours, we must avoid proliferating structures that subsequently incur operating costs. We need results to change the country and transform people’s lives,” he says.

The Minister of Education, Vocational Training, Higher Education, Science, and Innovation began an official mission today to São Vicente and Santo Antão as part of preparations for the 2026–2027 school year. The minister and his team will meet with representatives from the Ministry of Education, municipal councils, and the Rector’s Office of the Atlantic Technical University...

The mission aims to assess current conditions, understand the sector’s priorities and main challenges, and identify any needs before the start of the new academic year.