Education: National exams news in Portugal

The National Federation of Education (Federação Nacional da Educação or FNE) has criticized the planning and execution of this year's national exams, labeling the process a failure. While the FNE acknowledges the responsibility of Minister of Education Fernando Alexandre, they argue that other actors involved in the system must also be held accountable and are calling for an independent audit.

The Association of Geography Teachers has requested an urgent review of the automatic grading parameters for item 12.1 in the Geography A national exam. This follows two previously identified errors in the same test, prompting teachers to contact the National Exams Jury and the president of EduQA, Luís Santos, to ensure fair assessment for the 16,714 students who took the exam.

The Socialist Party (Partido Socialista or PS) has demanded urgent clarification from the Minister of Education regarding allegations that national exams with incomplete answers were graded. School principals have also expressed concern over the lack of operational details regarding the exam process, warning that such practices could undermine trust in higher education access.

This year's national exams are proving to be a challenge for a Ministry of Education accused by all sector stakeholders, from schools and teachers to parents and students.

The Ministry of Education has ordered an audit by the General Inspectorate of Education and Science (Inspeção-Geral da Educação e Ciência or IGEC) after a question in the national Portuguese exam was found to be identical to one in a study guide. The government admitted an objective failure by the Institute for Education, Quality and Assessment (Instituto de Educação, Qualidade e Avaliação or EduQA) and is investigating whether student equity was compromised.

Registrations for the first phase of the national secondary school exams opened on 6 March and run until 19 March; students may also register for self‑proposed 9th‑grade tests. The Directorate‑General for Education (Direção‑Geral da Educação) published the registration rules: internal and self‑proposed students must register, take a Portuguese exam and choose two additional subjects according to the instructions. Students and parents should complete registrations before the 19 March deadline and follow the DGE guidance on subject choices.