Políticas de expansão do ensino superior em Angola: organização institucional, diversificação e desafios de qualidade da oferta formativa

Abstract

This article analyses the trajectory of higher education expansion policies in Angola, from the post-independence period to the institutional framework observed in 2025/2026, with particular attention to territorial expansion, institutional diversification, private-sector participation, regulation, distance education, financing, and quality assurance. The study is based on an earlier version of the author's manuscript, originally focused on the post-1975 period and data available up to 2012/2013, and reconstructs it using subsequent legislation, official documents from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESCTI), and institutional information from the National Institute for Assessment, Accreditation and Recognition of Higher Education Studies (INAAREES). Methodologically, it adopts a qualitative, documentary and historical-institutional approach, complemented by descriptive analysis of secondary indicators. The findings reveal a profound transformation of the system: the higher education network reached 106 institutions, comprising 22 universities, 76 institutes, seven higher schools and one academy, including 75 private institutions; the student population exceeded 331,000 and the teaching staff approached 12,000. Quantitative expansion, however, coexists with challenges concerning programme accreditation, territorial distribution, academic staff qualification, concentration of enrolment in the social sciences and humanities, financing, infrastructure, research, innovation and alignment between educational provision and national development needs. The article concludes that the current phase requires a transition from a predominantly massification-oriented policy towards an integrated policy of sustainable expansion, quality, equity, relevance and digital transformation.