The parish in Guimarães where children vote
At one of the three polling stations run by the União de Freguesias de Oliveira, they vote on the transport they use to get to school, on school meals and on sport — or even on superheroes.
Todos Contam competition recognises best financial education projects in schools
Applications for the 14th edition of the Todos Contam competition run from 6 January to 6 February 2026, recognising the best financial education projects implemented in Portuguese schools during the 2025/2026 school year. The initiative is promoted by the National Council of Financial Supervisors — composed of the Bank of Portugal, the Authority of ...
Motto of the new Gulbenkian Institute for Advanced Studies is total freedom to think
More than 450 academics from around the world applied to a new initiative by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation: to have time to give free rein to their thinking. In April the ten selected will be announced.
The FCT, the higher education crisis and the housing problem
The Grant-holder Statute prevents grant-holders from being paid to teach at their host institution. Changing a single clause would allow the institution to top up the grant. Opinion piece by Federico Herrera
On the decline
It will be very difficult for social harmony to be maintained at our universities and research institutes.
Lost minds
The widespread use of AI is reportedly turning students into 'digital cretins' and corrupting education.
'Students turned into digital cretins.' Manifesto calls for a ban on AI in universities
A manifesto signed by dozens of professors. They want to put an end to the deluge of 'artificial assignments systematically brought down to mediocrity by a chatbot'.
Higher education's capacity for growth is 'severely limited' by the shortage of teaching staff
Is the academic staff crisis reaching higher education? 'The absence of professionals is a major challenge', especially in the private sector, and it affects strategic areas, concludes a new observatory.
Para estes professores deslocados, viver numa residência foi uma necessidade. Mas sabe “quase a casa”
Faced with high housing prices, these teachers turned to the housing programme run by Oeiras City Council, which has supported 78 teachers since 2019. They describe what it's like to live in a residence.
Barcelos: escola exige proteção contra chuva
A union representative says pupils have been 'permanently soaked' in container classrooms since the start of the €13 million building works. The municipal council says it will award the contract for a covering next week.
'We need public healthcare and public schools to reach the second round': Seguro appeals to 'progressives' to secure a 'good harvest'
On a day packed with campaign events, the presidential candidate renewed his appeal for votes from both the left and the right, positioning himself as the solution against 'extremisms'. 'The campaign ends today, but our work does not,' he told supporters.
Teachers postpone retirement, but the measure is questioned
Of the 222 schools surveyed, 57% have teachers who agreed to postpone their retirement. The regional distribution does not correspond to the areas where the teacher shortage is most pronounced, warns MEP.
Seguro asks for votes to send health and state schools into a second round
Seguro asks voters to support sending the health sector and state schools to a second round (run-off).
Teachers deferred retirement in most schools, but the Mission questions the measure
Most school groupings have teachers who agreed to postpone retirement this year, according to a survey by Missão Escola Pública, which questions the effectiveness of the measure.
Most schools have staff without teacher training
Assigning timetables to teachers who lack formal training in teaching can be a “serious risk”, say some teachers, but headteachers still struggle to find anyone willing to fill the vacant slots.
Majority of schools rely on staff without teaching qualifications to give lessons
From the north to the south of the country, headteachers have once again had to deal with a shortage of teachers and the difficulty of finding people willing to take up vacancies.
How can we regain children's attention?
The more accustomed we become to navigating a world full of stimuli, the harder it becomes to foster attention. Opinion piece by Elsa de Barros.
Universities expected to decide by February whether to require one or two admission tests
The reduction from two to one higher-education entrance test has not been finalised. The National Commission for Access to Higher Education warns about deadlines and says the change would involve a time-consuming process.
Research in Portugal: a shot on the aircraft carrier
It seems the minister has embraced the new trend of academic capitalism which, according to some authors, combines the scientific pursuit of truth with the economic maximisation of profits. Opinion piece by Alberto Amaral
Teacher and assistant shortages hit many schools
A survey by the civic movement Missão Escola Pública finds large gaps in staffing: about one third of schools reported teacher shortages during the first term, with problems spreading into the Centro and Norte regions and retirements flagged as a contributing factor. School leaders warn of repeated class disruptions and reliance on temporary cover, prompting calls for faster hiring and retention measures. Parents and those arranging schooling should confirm local staffing and contingency plans with individual schools.
An Missão Escola Pública (Public School Mission) is a grassroots civic movement in Portugal that has spent months surveying heads of school groupings ( agrupamentos de escolas ) and standalone schools to collect complaints and evidence about problems in the education system. Its months-long survey compiles school leaders' reports to inform public debate and policy discussions, so those working in schools or parents should be aware of its findings.
54 weapons found in Portuguese schools, 2024/25
RTP reports that 54 weapons were found across Portuguese schools during the 2024/2025 school year, a figure prompted by school-safety monitoring and local policing actions. The coverage does not list all incident types but highlights an ongoing concern about student safety and weapon detection in schools. Parents and school communities should ask their schools about safety protocols and local measures to prevent and respond to such incidents.
RTP (Rádio e Televisão de Portugal) is Portugal's state-owned public service broadcaster, operating since 1935 (radio) and 1957 (television). It runs 8 television channels (including RTP1, RTP2, RTP3) and 7 radio stations (Antena 1, 2, 3), plus international services reaching Portuguese diaspora worldwide. Funded by a broadcasting tax on electricity bills and advertising revenue, RTP serves as Portugal's cultural reference, providing quality news, education, and entertainment. Its archive represents "irreplaceable heritage in Portuguese collective memory", and it pioneered online streaming with RTP Play in 2011. RTP connects "Portugal and the Portuguese to themselves, to each other, and to the world"
PJ launches campaign against online radicalisation of young people
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.
Government paid €25.9m in teachers' overtime
Multiple outlets report the Ministry of Education (Ministério da Educação) paid €25.9 million for overtime hours in December, with more than 30,000 teachers working extra hours to cover teacher shortages; one outlet also notes about 1,500 teachers deferred retirement this school year. The payments reflect ongoing staffing gaps that affect class coverage and school timetables; expat parents should expect occasional substitute teachers or timetable changes and keep in touch with school administrations. The story uses the Portuguese term for overtime, horas extraordinárias, which many schools and payslips will also use.
Update: Recent reports from national broadcasters and outlets corroborate the December payment figure and the scale of extra hours — confirming persistent staffing pressures in classrooms across regions. For expat families: continue to monitor communications from your child's school about cover arrangements and possible timetable adjustments.
Overtime hours are work performed beyond an employee’s contracted schedule that is normally paid at a higher rate or compensated with time off. In the recent story about 30,000 teachers, many took on extra hours to cover staff shortages and keep classes running, which directly increases their pay but can also reflect workload and staffing problems in schools. As an expat working in Portugal, know that overtime rules depend on your contract and sector (public vs private) and must follow the national labour code.
AESE opens new campus in Porto and is already preparing programmes for the North of the country
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.
1st-cycle pupils to have Physical Education from next school year
The government will introduce compulsory Physical Education for 1st‑cycle pupils in public schools from the next school year, affecting around 330,000 children. The Budget Law commits to hiring the teachers needed to deliver the measure but does not specify how much will be invested or the number of weekly hours to be allocated. The lack of detail raises implementation questions — recruitment timelines, teacher training, regional distribution, and fiscal impact — and creates uncertainty about curriculum time and equity of provision across schools.
