Education news in Portugal

Private institutions dominated the latest national school rankings based on data from the Ministry of Education (Ministério da Educação), with the top public school dropping to 38th place from 33rd last year. Results on national exams (exames nacionais) for the 9th grade showed higher marks concentrated in major coastal cities, while failing grades increased among public school students. A study by the Católica Porto business school and newspaper Público concluded that private schools generally do not inflate internal continuous assessment marks, challenging a long-held perception.

The number of international students attending Portuguese higher education institutions has more than tripled over the past decade, according to new education data. While student mobility previously relied heavily on applicants from Brazil and Portuguese-speaking African nations (Países Africanos de Língua Oficial Portuguesa or PALOP), recent cohorts show increasing geographic diversity. The trend reflects Portuguese universities expanding English-language course offerings and active recruitment across European and Asian markets.

Public schools and preschools across Portugal face potential closures on Monday due to a 24-hour strike by non-teaching staff. Called by the National Union of Education Professionals (Sindicato Nacional dos Profissionais de Educação or SINAPE), the walkout involves administrative assistants, operational workers, and specialised technicians. Several school administrations have begun alerting parents that classes and cafeteria services could be disrupted.

Over 52,000 students secured places in Portuguese universities and polytechnics through the national higher education access contest (concurso nacional de acesso), marking a 14.8% increase over last year. Data released by the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation showed that 92.5% of the 56,228 available vacancies were filled across three application phases. Approximately 31,000 candidates entered university programmes, while nearly 21,000 were admitted to polytechnic institutes.

Three Portuguese business schools placed among the world's top 100 programmes in the 2026 Financial Times Executive MBA ranking. Iscte Executive Education reached 55th place globally, rising 26 spots to lead Portugal's business schools. The joint programme from Católica Lisbon School of Business and Economics and Nova School of Business and Economics, alongside Porto Business School, also maintained places on the global list.

Student associations from five higher education institutions called a demonstration in Lisbon on October 21 to protest the proposed unfreezing of university tuition fees (propinas). The draft 2027 State Budget ends the €697 annual cap on undergraduate degrees in place since 2020, indexing tuition fees to inflation starting in the 2027/2028 academic year. Protesters plan to gather outside the government headquarters at Campus XXI to oppose the fee increases.

Portuguese schools received 380 new student registrations in the first week of October, with foreign pupils accounting for 73% of the total, according to Minister of Education Fernando Alexandre. Speaking in parliament, Fernando Alexandre said public services are coping with the demand and noted that late enrolments occur every year. The minister also reported that 1,301 teaching schedules remain unfilled across the country, with 40% of full-year openings located in Greater Lisbon and the Setúbal peninsula.

Minister of Education Fernando Alexandre said recent declines in Portuguese student scores on the international PISA exam stem from early smartphone use and social media habits. Alexandre also stated that previous administrations reduced educational standards by devaluing external exams and standardized tests. With national reading results falling to 2006 levels, the government plans to restrict smartphone access during school hours and introduce new diagnostic evaluations.

The Ministry of Education has provisionally removed 62 teachers from their posts after an automatic verification process identified criminal records incompatible with working with minors. The Inspectorate-General of Education and Science is now conducting an urgent analysis of all affected cases. This new monitoring procedure was introduced this school year to improve administrative efficiency and digital interoperability.

The second phase of the national access competition for higher education has placed 9,116 students, an increase of 292 compared to 2025. Despite these placements, 4,069 vacancies remain, primarily in polytechnic institutions located in the interior of the country.

The National Federation of Teachers (Federação Nacional de Professores or Fenprof) is considering legal action against Minister of Education Fernando Alexandre. The minister accused the union of attempting to sabotage the digital grading process for national exams, while the union labeled his comments insulting.

The Liberal Initiative (IL) has requested an urgent parliamentary hearing with Minister of Education Fernando Alexandre regarding the delay in publishing 2025 school rankings. The party is also seeking explanations for the delay in releasing results for the ModA exams from the previous school year.

Minister of Education Fernando Alexandre reported that only 54 students were awaiting school placement as of Monday. He assured that the government is processing new requests and resolving placement issues within 24 hours, despite ongoing concerns about teacher shortages and overcrowded classrooms in regions like Lisbon and the Algarve.

Update: Teacher shortages and sick leave impact school year start

Education Minister Fernando Alexandre reported that approximately 6,000 teachers have taken medical leave since the start of the school year, leaving 2,000 positions unfilled. While the government attributes remaining student placement issues to late enrolments, opposition parties have criticized the administration's management of the sector.

The Socialist Party (Partido Socialista or PS) has requested an urgent parliamentary hearing for Minister of Education Fernando Alexandre regarding over a thousand students still without school placements. Socialist MP Miguel Cabrita described the situation as unprecedented, while the party continues to pressure the government over its handling of the education sector.

A court in Almada has ruled that the Ministry of Education must place a child with specific educational needs in a local school with the necessary pedagogical support. The decision follows a legal challenge supported by the Movement for Effective Inclusion (Movimento para a Inclusão Efetiva), which advocates for the rights of students to receive appropriate resources.

The Ombudsman (Provedor de Justiça) has received approximately 100 complaints regarding school enrolments, with most cases involving students who have not yet been placed. At the start of the week, over 1,300 students across the country remained without a school placement.

Update: Education Ministry reports over 100 new placement requests

Minister of Education Fernando Alexandre reported this Friday that over 100 new cases of students needing placement have emerged in a single day. The minister assured that all students are being placed and that the government is working to resolve ongoing teacher shortages.

The Socialist Party (Partido Socialista or PS) has decided to support a parliamentary inquiry into the digital grading process for national exams, originally proposed by the Left Bloc (Bloco de Esquerda or BE). The decision follows concerns over unclear responsibilities and technical failures during the recent exam period. With additional support from the Chega party, the inquiry is now expected to proceed in the Assembly of the Republic.

PSD, CDS-PP and the Government argue that the minister has taken responsibility, apologised and resolved the issues, making an inquiry commission unnecessary.

Data from the Ministry of Education shows that 75.2% of requests for re-evaluation of second-phase national exams resulted in higher grades for students. The process saw 2,563 requests, with 1,928 students receiving score increases. This follows a summer marked by technical difficulties during the transition to a digital grading process for national examinations.

Approximately 295 students in Sintra who were previously without school placements have now been assigned to local institutions. While the Ministry of Education maintains that the distribution is complete, some individual cases remain, and officials have suggested that class sizes may increase or temporary facilities may be used to accommodate the growing student population in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area.

The Chega party has announced it will vote in favor of a Left Bloc (BE) proposal to establish a parliamentary inquiry commission into the digital grading process for national exams. Party leader André Ventura also denied allegations that the recent vandalism of a Chega office was staged, while continuing to pressure the Assembly President to allow an inquiry into Minister Luís Neves.

The Ministry of Education is considering opening new classes or increasing student capacity to address the hundreds of students currently without school placements. Opposition parties, including the Socialist Party (Partido Socialista or PS), the Left Bloc (Bloco de Esquerda or BE), and Livre, have demanded clarifications, with some calling for a parliamentary inquiry into the management of public schools and teacher shortages.

Update: Lisbon schools accommodate unplaced students

The Ministry of Education and school principals in Lisbon reached a solution this Monday to place hundreds of students by distributing them into existing classes. While this resolves the immediate issue in the capital, hundreds of students in other municipalities remain without a public school placement.

The Socialist Party (Partido Socialista or PS) has launched a sharp critique of Minister of Education Fernando Alexandre, calling him a candidate for the worst minister since the 1974 revolution. The party highlighted the scandal of students being left without school placements despite mandatory education requirements. Concerns regarding the state of the education system are further compounded by recent data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (Programme for International Student Assessment or PISA), which indicates declining performance among Portuguese students.

Minister of Education Fernando Alexandre has ordered an investigation into reports that some schools refused student enrollments despite having available vacancies. The state system continues to face significant challenges, with hundreds of pupils still without a place and schools relying heavily on overtime hours to manage teacher shortages.

Update: Parents demand action as school placement crisis continues

Parents across the country have formed an informal group to protest the ongoing lack of school placements for their children, particularly affecting families relocating or transitioning from private to public education. Some parents are now calling for presidential intervention and considering legal action, arguing that the government's investigation is arriving too late to address the immediate needs of affected students.

A group of parents is taking legal action against the Ministry of Education due to a lack of available places in public schools for their children. Families in the Lisbon area report that they have been waiting for placements since July, leaving many students without assigned classrooms as the school year begins.

Prime Minister Luís Montenegro admitted in Setúbal that the quality and rigor of the Portuguese education system have declined in recent years. He stated that the government is implementing corrective measures, including stricter mobile phone policies in schools and new recruitment incentives for teachers in high-pressure areas.

Education Minister Fernando Alexandre announced the placement of 1,700 teachers via the latest recruitment reserve, helping to mitigate staffing shortages just as the school year begins. Despite this progress, the government acknowledges that some schools, particularly in two specific regions, still face challenges in ensuring all classrooms have assigned teachers.

The National Federation of Teachers (Fenprof) and the National Federation of Education (FNE) have rejected Education Minister Fernando Alexandre's proposal to merge the first and second cycles of basic education. Unions warn that the plan, intended to start as a pilot project in the 2027/2028 school year, risks masking systemic teacher shortages rather than addressing the root causes of staffing issues.

The latest PISA results show a significant decline in Mathematics, Science, and Reading scores among Portuguese students, effectively reversing gains made since 2015 and returning to 2006 performance levels. Former Education Ministers Nuno Crato and João Costa have offered differing perspectives on the causes, with Crato pointing to educational policy and Costa citing global trends. Data also highlights a persistent disparity in educational outcomes between regions, with students in the North generally outperforming those in Lisbon, Setúbal, and the Algarve.

There are no major overall differences in the performance of public and private school students in PISA, but these worsen when looking only at students in scientific-humanistic courses.

The Council of Ministers has approved a new recruitment model for teachers, set to take effect in the 2027/2028 school year, aimed at reducing time students spend without instructors. In the interim, the Ministry of Education announced that schools will begin daily recruitment of staff starting next week to address immediate shortages.

The 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (Programa Internacional de Avaliação de Alunos or PISA) results show a significant decline in performance for Portuguese students in mathematics, reading, and science. Reading scores have reached their lowest point since 2006, leading education experts to call for urgent policy changes, including the potential reintroduction of national exams in primary grades.

Five Portuguese business schools have secured spots in the 2026 Financial Times Masters in Management ranking, with the Nova School of Business and Economics (Nova SBE) reaching second place globally. The Católica-Lisbon SBE, Iscte Business School, and Católica-Porto SBE also improved their positions, while the ISEG Lisbon School of Economics and Management made its debut in the elite list.

Minister of Education, Science and Innovation Fernando Alexandre acknowledged that Portugal will face a structural shortage of teachers for several years. The statement follows reports from the National Federation of Teachers (Federação Nacional dos Professores or Fenprof) that over 2,600 teaching vacancies remain unfilled just days before the school year begins.

An audit by the General Inspectorate of Education and Science (IGEC) has uncovered delays in exam re-evaluation requests across 69 schools. While the report found no evidence of deliberate misconduct, the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation has recommended further inquiries into the operational lapses identified.

Update: Audit confirms exam processing delays

The audit further revealed that 29 schools experienced delays in delivering first-phase exams. While the IGEC report concluded that no deliberate actions compromised exam integrity, it recommended additional inquiries into the procedural failures.

President António José Seguro has signed a new law prohibiting the use of smartphones in schools for students up to the 9th grade. The government implemented this measure following reports from school directors that restricting mobile phone access improves socialization and reduces classroom indiscipline.

A new think tank called the Instituto Progresso has launched with the goal of developing and testing public policies through pilot experiments. The organization aims to bridge the gap between the centre and the left, counting 170 subscribers from parties including the Socialist Party (Partido Socialista or PS), the Social Democratic Party (Partido Social Democrata or PSD), and the Left Bloc (Bloco de Esquerda or BE).

The municipality of Vila Nova de Poiares in the Coimbra district is launching a new Portuguese language course for foreign residents. Starting in September, the program is designed to help English-speaking expats improve their language skills and support their integration into the local community.

A survey by the Coimbra Academic Association (Associação Académica de Coimbra or AAC) reveals that one in four students has considered dropping out due to high living costs. With average room prices reaching 312 euros and studio rents in Lisbon hitting 1,500 euros, students report that accommodation is the primary obstacle to continuing their education.

The National Union of Higher Education (Sindicato Nacional do Ensino Superior or SNESup) has expressed concern after data showed that students from the lowest income bracket represent only 3% of placements in the first phase of university admissions. While the total number of placed students increased, union president José Moreira warned that socioeconomic barriers continue to limit access to competitive courses.

The first phase of the National Higher Education Access Competition (Concurso Nacional de Acesso ao Ensino Superior or CNAES) saw nearly 50,000 students placed in universities. Polytechnic institutions experienced a 24.5% growth in placements, a trend attributed to their recent rebranding as polytechnic universities and relaxed entrance requirements. Aerospace Engineering at the University of Porto remains the most competitive course, requiring an entry grade of 19.5.

Nearly 50,000 students secured places in the first phase of the national higher education access competition, filling 88.9% of available spots. The Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MECI) reported this as the highest placement figure in the last decade, excluding 2020, with over half of candidates accepted into their first choice.

The results for the second phase of national secondary school exam re-evaluations will be released on September 14. The government delayed the publication from the original August 28 date to provide teachers with additional time for rest.

The National Federation of Teachers (Federação Nacional dos Professores or Fenprof) stated that the 20,404 teachers recently placed for the upcoming school year do not meet the permanent needs of schools. The union noted that only 1,252 of these placements involve new contracts, with the remainder consisting of internal transfers, and warned that hundreds of teachers are expected to retire by September.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (Ministério da Educação, Ciência e Inovação or MECI) has authorized a 2.6 million euro payment for teachers who graded national exams this year, a practice not seen since 2010. Meanwhile, Minister of Education Fernando Alexandre announced that re-evaluations for second-phase exams are postponed until September due to a request from the National Exams Jury (Júri Nacional de Exames or JNE).

The Secretary of State for Higher Education has requested that the Public Prosecutor's Office (Ministério Público) investigate reports of antisemitism at the University of Coimbra. The case involves allegations of hate speech and graffiti targeting Jewish and Israeli individuals, which the university claims to have previously reported to authorities.

New regulations for higher education scholarships will be implemented in phases during the 2026-2027 academic year. The government stated that full implementation was delayed, so current rules remain in place for most areas, with updates limited to displaced student status, accommodation support, and a new incentive grant for low-income students.

The Ministry of Education has extended the university application deadline by three days for students who only received their exam re-evaluation results this Monday. Meanwhile, the National Examination Jury (Júri Nacional de Exames or JNE) reported that over 21,000 grade review requests were submitted this year, with 77% of those reviews resulting in higher marks.

Update: Ministry opens inquiry into school exam irregularities

The Minister of Education has ordered an official inquiry into irregularities during the national secondary school exams. The investigation focuses on schools that submitted exam papers for grading after the official collection period and those that failed to process re-evaluation requests on time.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (Ministério da Educação, Ciência e Inovação or MECI) reports that only a residual number of exam re-evaluation requests remain pending. Officials guarantee that no student will be prevented from applying to the first phase of higher education access due to these delays. The National Exams Jury (Júri Nacional de Exames or JNE) has sent the vast majority of results to schools.