The Order's Installation Commission (IC) met with the management of the CCISP - Coordinating Council for Higher Polytechnic Institutes and the APESP - Associação Portuguesa do Ensino Superior Privado (Portuguese Association of Private Higher Education), the structures representing Portuguese Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the public sector and the private and co-operative sector, respectively. The meetings with CCISP took place on 30 May and 30 July and the meeting with APESP took place on 30 June.
In addition to the presentation of greetings, both meetings discussed issues of mutual interest, which were focussed on in particular:
1 - Collaboration to facilitate the procedures for enrolling new graduates in the Bar;
2 - Promoting the quality of physiotherapy teaching at undergraduate level, with the Order's IC presenting the benchmark for convergence with international standards;
3 - The prospects for the development of specialities within the profession and the combination of postgraduate training and higher academic degrees.
All the meetings concluded on the need for strategic and complementary cooperation, while recognising the different nature of the organisations involved.
As a complement to this approach at the level of organisations representing the education sector, CI has maintained a direct, formal dialogue with the heads of higher education institutions with initial training in physiotherapy, and with the directors/coordinators of the respective courses, which has proved fruitful.
In its contact with the HEIs, the Order's IC has emphasised respect for the autonomy of the respective pedagogical and scientific bodies, and has valued the role of the HEIs in terms of professional development. In this context, it should be noted that the convergence benchmark for the initial training of physiotherapists adopted by the Order's IC is based on a proposal put forward at the initiative of a wide range of teachers.
The Order's IC has also been developing contacts with the A3ES - Agência de Avaliação e Acreditação do Ensino Superior (Higher Education Assessment and Accreditation Agency), awaiting the scheduling of a meeting to present greetings to the new Board of Directors of that organisation.
Note - Picture of the OF / APESP meeting: António Almeida Dias, José João Mendes, José Manuel Silva and Miguel Copetto and, on the Installing Committee side, Isabel Souza Guerra, António Lopes and Nuno Cordeiro.