Latest news and stories about curriculum in Portugal for expats and residents.
The decision to make Mathematics compulsory from 10th to 12th grade is an opportunity to discuss the essentials: not how much Mathematics, but what kind of Mathematics, and in the service of which people and what citizens.
The merger of the 1st and 2nd cycles will advance next year with a pilot project, and secondary education will encompass the 7th to 12th years. Mathematics will be a compulsory subject until the 12th year.
SPM and APM support the Government's proposal but demand consultation with the sector, curricula adapted to each course, and the guarantee of sufficient teachers before 2028.
The subject will be compulsory from year 10 to year 12. “Afterwards, students will have a flexible path where they will have the possibility to make choices,” explained the Minister of Education. The new curriculum framework should be submitted for public consultation, but will only come into force in 2028/2029.
By the end of 2026, the new curriculum matrix, which defines the subjects for each course and their respective hours, must be submitted for public consultation.
The new secondary school curriculum framework will enter public consultation in December. The idea is for students to have a “flexible path”. The Minister guarantees that there have been 3,000 new teachers since September.
The Portuguese Mathematical Society (SPM) has proposed the creation of coherent curriculum programmes, differentiated curriculum goals, and the transformation of ModA exams into assessments that count towards students' final grades.
The entity puts forward several proposals to improve the situation and expresses concern over the poor results.
The Order of Biologists and the Portuguese Association of Geologists denounce a “clear setback” regarding the absence of practical experimental activity in the field of Geology
Letter sent to the Minister of Education speaks of a 'gross error' and intends for the subject to 'return to the agenda'
An overview of the feedback, concerns, and future steps regarding the Essential Learnings curriculum framework.
The proposal is under public consultation until the 28th. The Portuguese Mathematical Society criticises the “excessive emphasis on practical and utilitarian tasks” to the detriment of logical reasoning.
The minister's proposal boils down to this: those who want to teach the Nobel laureate's works, do so; those who do not, do not. Live and let live. Try it, it will do you good.
The 'essential learning' framework in Portugal aims to simplify the curriculum, but risks reducing it to measurable results. This text proposes replacing control with trust and the lowest common denominator with meaningful and critical knowledge.
There are various models of teaching and literary education in Europe, but unlike Portugal, other countries tend to give schools more autonomy. Furthermore, being a Nobel Prize winner in Literature is not a criterion for inclusion.
It is the State's responsibility to ensure that everyone reaches a certain level of literacy and critical thinking, but without ever turning schools into an instrument of cultural standardisation.
In recent days, we have witnessed a series of episodes demonstrating the profound disorientation in the management of educational policies. From contradictory requirements for higher education access to the controversial proposal to make José Saramago an optional author due to the 'density' of his writing, the ministry's signals remain disjointed. The article highlights a lack of coordination in curriculum planning, confusion regarding digital integration, and policy reversals concerning teacher recruitment and the persistent issue of students without teachers. The author questions how the ministry can promise a world-class system by 2027 when it struggles to provide basic data on teacher shortages or manage current administrative challenges, concluding that the minister appears lost in a labyrinth while holding the future of over a million students in his hands.
Look at the audacity. Giving teachers and students freedom of choice. Leaving room for autonomous reading and reading for pleasure.
The Minister of Education responded to criticism from the PS regarding the possible removal of José Saramago from the mandatory reading list for the 12th grade, dismissing any ideological bias by noting that the proposed alternative is also a communist militant.
At issue is the possibility for Portuguese teachers to choose between two works by José Saramago and a book by Mário de Carvalho.
A critical analysis of the proposed Portuguese secondary education curriculum, arguing that making the study of José Saramago optional reflects a broader, detrimental trend in the education system. The author contends that technocratic jargon and a focus on assessment over deep literary analysis are undermining the teaching of complex texts, ultimately failing to foster critical thinking and cultural literacy in students.
By replacing the clarity of content transmission with the bureaucratic complexity of competency assessment, the Ministry of Education is not modernising teaching and the national curriculum. Opinion by Carlos Ceia.
The Government's proposal removes Saramago from the mandatory options for the 12th grade and includes Mário de Carvalho. The Portuguese Teachers' Association guarantees that the Nobel laureate will not be removed from the curriculum.
The Minister of Education said this Monday that the public consultation on essential learning, which includes the possibility of removing José Saramago from mandatory reading in the 12th grade, “is absolutely technical.” Fernando Alexandre also stresses that the decision has not yet been finalised.
The José Saramago Foundation questioned this Monday what the criteria were for removing the Portuguese Nobel laureate's work from the essential learning requirements for secondary education. The proposal is still preliminary.
The works of José Saramago are being considered for removal from the list of compulsory reading for secondary education students.
The work of José Saramago, Nobel Prize in Literature winner, may no longer be mandatory in the Portuguese education system.
The work of José Saramago may no longer be mandatory in the Portuguese education system. The Ministry of Education itself has put the proposal up for public discussion.
The document, which will begin to be implemented in schools in the next academic year, is the result of a curriculum review for all subjects in basic and secondary education.
In addition to students at universities and colleges of education, the strategic plan for the next five years includes further financial literacy training for those already in the teaching profession, ensuring they are properly qualified to teach this module within the citizenship curriculum.
