The National Superintendence of Higher University Education (SUNEDU) considers it necessary to alert the university community, the medical community, public opinion and the general public of the risks that hang over the ongoing licensing processes of the prioritized medicine programs that this institution has been carrying out since 2019.
The opinion approved in the first vote of bill 697 of the Education Commission of Congress, modifies article 15 of the University Law and suppresses Sunedu’s power to approve or deny the licensing of faculties, schools and study programs.
In addition, eliminates Sunedu’s power to periodically review and update the basic quality conditionsthat is, the standards that universities must meet to obtain and renew their licenses.
Given this, The Superintendency has developed actions to ensure that universities guarantee conditions for the proper development of teaching-learning processespromote and develop research, that have duly equipped laboratories, among other requirements of the medicine program.
Thus, this evaluation contributes to improving the adequate provision of health services and will favor the quality of life of citizens.
To date the Sunedu has licensed 7 Medicine programs (5 in Lima and 2 in the regions), which have a total of 5,985 students. In the same way, quality gaps have been identified in another 10 programs that have been given an adaptation period so that they can develop the corresponding improvement actions to demonstrate compliance with the conditions established for this program.
The suppression of the Sunedu faculty to evaluate the basic conditions of quality of the medicine program, would affect regarding 40 thousand students of the programs that are currently being adapted, of those that are under evaluation, as well as those that are regarding to begin their evaluation, since, without this regulation, it will not be possible to guarantee that these students will receive a quality educational service.
Suppressing the licensing of prioritized programs would exacerbate the gaps in the training of medical studentsconstituting a serious setback, not only in the university reform, but also in the efforts to improve the health system of our country.
For its part, the Medical College of Peru (CMP) also joined the rejection of the so-called university counter reformarguing that puts at risk the quality of education of a sector of the more than 3,800 young people who graduate every year from the Human Medicine career in the country.
“In unlicensed universities like Telesup there is also training in medicine. Can you imagine that they continue to graduate more professionals… It is a risk to the health of the population. Sunedu has ordered the system, the postgraduate courses, but if it goes backwards there will be no such requirement, nor professional quality”, refers its dean Raúl Urquizo.
“We are concerned regarding the quality of professionals. We have evaluated the faculties, and in the exams for them to take the civil service (Serums), normally the first ones are from San Marcos and Cayetano Heredia. But there are also faculties where a grade of 3 or 4 is registered. There are young people with inadequate skills. This has been a concern for years.” adds Urquizo.
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