Six weeks after Storm Kristin, students in Vieira de Leiria continue to face significant educational disruptions, with classes held in makeshift locations including containers and a former mortuary chapel due to ongoing infrastructure repairs.

The Ministry of Education is investigating reports that nearly 80 schools were visited by digital influencers linked to adult content during student association campaigns over the last two years. The investigation follows media reports revealing weaknesses in school management bodies that allowed these individuals to participate in student activities. Parents should be aware that the government has announced new guidelines to prohibit any school activities that contradict educational values.

The Government is forming a working group to create guidelines for schools to prohibit activities that contradict educational values, following incidents where 79 public schools hosted digital influencers promoting sexual and misogynistic content. This initiative, outlined by the Ministry of Education and Citizenship (MECI), aims to enhance control over external activities in schools and ensure they align with the mission of promoting democratic citizenship, equity, and inclusion. The group will analyze the legal framework regarding external entities in schools and provide clarity on acceptable activities, with a final report due by March 31.

Secondary school students have a two-week window to register for national exams, which began on 6 March and will close on 19 March. The provisional calendar for the higher education access competition has been released, with applications starting on 20 July. Students must register online and take mandatory exams in Portuguese along with two additional subjects. The first phase of national exams will occur from 16 to 26 June, while the national admission competition will take place in three phases from 20 July to 24 September.

Fenprof has refused to engage in discussions with the Government regarding the teaching career statute, following the exclusion of another union, Stop, from negotiations due to a protest outside the Ministry of Education. Fenprof criticized the government's actions as undermining the right to protest and stated that they would not accept negotiations conducted under such conditions. The union left the meeting shortly after it began, without addressing any agenda items, in protest of the Secretary of State's stance on the matter.

The Government's proposal to revise the Teaching Career Statute, which will be discussed with unions, centralizes the hiring of teachers and introduces a one-year trial period based on performance evaluation, shortening the regime for teaching without legal qualifications.

Portugal aspires to be a leader in innovation and technology, focusing on integrating AI in education and attracting foreign investment. However, the reality of its public services is starkly contrasting, with inefficiencies so severe that even basic tasks like paying taxes require prior appointments, highlighting a systemic failure that undermines its ambitions.

Portugal now boasts two MBA programs ranked among the top 100 globally, as reported by the Financial Times. The Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova has solidified its position as the leading program in the country, while the International MBA from Porto Business School makes its first appearance in the rankings at 96th place.

A new course at UTAD has introduced 40 additional places for students aspiring to study Medicine, while polytechnic institutions have expanded their offerings in special competitions. Overall, public education systems now provide a total of 78,283 places.

The Director of Nova SBE criticises the rector’s decision to revert faculty names to Portuguese, arguing that in a global competition for talent overly centralised control or restrictions on institutional decision‑making undermine agility, performance and international appeal. He warns that language and branding choices are strategic levers for attracting students, faculty and partners, and that narrowing those options risks harming Nova SBE’s and Portugal’s ambition to become a global reference in higher education. The piece analyses the trade‑offs between local identity and internationalisation and calls for governance that preserves autonomy and responsiveness to global market demands.

Distance learning has become the preferred model for over half of trainees at Galileu, a training company under the Rumos group. Despite this shift, in-person training is still viewed as more beneficial for developing human and personal skills, according to Cláudia Vicente, the general director, in an interview with ECO.

The Heitor Law represents a significant political decision that has profoundly impacted Portuguese higher education, leading to lasting negative consequences.

Rogério Casanova argues that not all functional academic writing—such as recommendation letters or election manifestos—needs to be crafted by highly skilled humans. He advocates for more explicit manifestos and institutional policies governing the use of AI in universities, allowing routine and low-value writing to be delegated to tools while preserving human oversight where it matters. The column frames such manifestos as pragmatic, ethical guides to protect quality, fairness and accountability in higher education’s adoption of AI.

João Nuno Tavares argues that the rise of AI in classrooms necessitates a fundamental rethink of assessment and teaching methodologies to preserve meaningful learning without overwhelming teachers. Drawing on roughly 50 years of teaching experience, he outlines practical ideas for qualitative, robust assessment techniques and classroom practices that acknowledge AI’s capabilities while aiming to reduce teacher workload. The piece analytically weighs trade-offs and proposes scalable strategies to maintain academic integrity, learning quality and manageable teacher demands.

The Government approved a decree‑law on Thursday, announced by António Leitão Amaro, allowing higher education institutions to require only one entrance exam. The change reverses a Socialist government decision that had forced students to sit at least two admission tests and restores the system that was in force until 2024. The move increases institutional autonomy over selection criteria and could affect comparability of admissions outcomes across institutions; it is presented as a regulatory rollback rather than an expansion of student protections. (A separate note in the original text observes a concern that the Peace Council could become similar to the UN Security Council.)

A NOVA University study of 1,400 pupils across nine schools found that roughly one in three foreign students report experiencing discrimination by teachers, according to figures published by Diário de Notícias. The finding highlights persistent barriers to educational equality and student wellbeing among expatriate and immigrant pupils, suggesting a need for targeted policies, teacher training and further research to understand causes and address reporting pathways.

Inês Lynce, chair of INESC‑ID and co‑director of the Carnegie Mellon Portugal Programme, argues Portugal must act to retain professionals skilled in generative artificial intelligence and adapt education and policy to do so. She urges a wider societal pause to define what we want from AI, calling for clearer public information, informed debate and targeted retention and training measures to align technological development with public interest.

Private schools are proposing greater autonomy to hire teachers from a wider range of academic backgrounds — for example, allowing a psychologist to teach primary (first cycle) classes or a political science graduate to teach history. The proposal will be presented to Parliament on Wednesday. Proponents argue this flexibility could address staffing needs and broaden candidate pools; critics may raise concerns about subject-specific pedagogical qualifications and the need for training and regulatory safeguards to maintain teaching quality.

The Minister of Education told Parliament that a planned review of curricula and the organisation of the first and second cycles of basic education will be implemented in the 2027/28 school year. Key changes will include revised timetabled hours and closer integration of the 1st and 2nd cycles, with the government aiming to align curriculum content, assessment and pathways to qualifications. The announcement signals a significant policy reform requiring adjustments by schools, teachers and qualification bodies ahead of the 2027 rollout.

The PSP has launched a month‑long school operation, 'Violence? No, thank you!', delivering awareness activities for the whole school community on school-based violence, weapons possession/use and juvenile delinquency. Targeting pupils in the 3rd cycle of basic education and secondary schools, the campaign combines prevention and legal deterrence by warning minors that violent acts can carry criminal consequences. The initiative aims to reduce incidents, improve reporting and engage schools, families and staff in safeguarding measures.

A sustained survey by civic movement Missão Escola Pública of heads of school groupings and standalone schools reveals systemic staffing problems across Portugal: around one-third of schools were short of teachers throughout the first term, 77% reported using staff without pedagogical training, and shortages have spread into the Central and Northern regions. The findings point to degraded educational quality, ad hoc coping measures and unfilled posts, raising urgent questions about recruitment, retention and policy responses to secure qualified teachers and protect learning standards.

Portugal’s Judicial Police (PJ) has launched a first-of-its-kind campaign to tackle online radicalisation among young people, aiming to alert schools and families to warning signs, raise awareness, prevent recruitment and disrupt extremist influence across digital platforms. The initiative is framed as a preventive, educational and investigative effort combining outreach to educators and parents with targeted policing online. Separately, The Guardian reports heightened international tensions as former US President Trump is reported to be considering military options against Iran following a violent crackdown, underscoring how domestic efforts to shield youth from radicalisation sit alongside broader geopolitical risks.

AESE Business School has opened a new campus in Porto and is already preparing tailored programmes to serve the North of Portugal. The school's dean says Portuguese business leaders value continuous training but, given an economy with “some fragilities,” are often too absorbed in running their companies to commit time to development — a gap AESE aims to bridge through flexible executive education and qualification offerings that support regional business needs and economic resilience.