Government: 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.

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.