Latest news and stories about public spending in education in Portugal for expats and residents.
The Ministry of Education has spent 30 million on technology and reform contracts over 18 months, with a significant portion driven by RRP funding and major firms like Deloitte.
The Ministry of Education awarded over 500,000 euros in direct contracts to Deloitte to address technical failures in the national secondary school exam grading platform.
The government is implementing stricter spending controls on school refurbishment projects, specifically targeting the use of premium materials in anti-seismic and window frame upgrades to limit public funding exposure.
From primary school to university, the Portuguese state's expenditure per student was around 10,206 euros annually in 2023, slightly below the OECD average, which stood at 11,962 euros.
Between 2025 and July 2026, 65 contracts were identified, valued at over 29 million euros, with the two largest related to digital educational resources under the RRP. Deloitte has signed 11 contracts since 2023, totaling five million euros, including services related to the digitisation and grading of national exams.
This concerns a European Commission report on investment in education.
Data indicates that Portugal's investment in education exceeded the European Union average during the 2024 fiscal year.
Data indicates that Portugal's investment in education exceeded the European Union average during the 2024 fiscal year.
The project to adapt the Luís de Camões building into a student residence will have an additional cost of 1.7 million euros. The contract had been awarded for 9.7 million euros.
The Ministry of Education reveals the values of the two direct adjustments with the consultancy firm that were previously kept secret. The company had already received 2.65 million this year for other services.
The government paid more than 400,000 euros for a platform to avoid failures in the grading of the second phase exams. The contract with Deloitte was made through a direct award.
Two contracts, signed on 2 and 12 July, aimed to correct anomalies in the electronic grading platform for secondary school exams. The largest, worth 499,000 euros, was awarded via direct procurement.
EduQA explains everything that is at stake
The Government wants to reduce costs in school redevelopment. A directive stipulates economic rationality for local authorities. According to the newspaper Público, restraint is requested in several areas, including anti-seismic reinforcement.
The Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MECI) does not disclose which entities are linked to the digitisation. The Base portal shows several contracts, including for two platforms, but the companies involved refuse to take responsibility for the one that is causing errors.
