Latest news and stories about social inequality in Portugal for expats and residents.
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The testing system serves as a filter that, most of the time, replicates the current class structure without appearing to do so intentionally. A column by Paulo César Gonçalves.
Association contracts — useful in areas where there is no public school — are a checkmate to the idea that education vouchers represent freedom of choice and a reduction in social differences. Segregated classes and separate lunches for the rich and the poor clearly show how this system would only serve to accentuate inequalities.
The article discusses the growing social inequality in the Portuguese education system, specifically the lack of teachers in public schools. It highlights how students missing classes are at a disadvantage for national exams and university entrance. The author proposes that the Minister of Education, Fernando Alexandre, create a financial support mechanism—a 'tutoring voucher'—to allow parents to pay for private tutoring for students who have not had full access to classes, warning that education must not follow the path of the health and justice sectors, where quality access is increasingly dependent on private payment.
Portugal views its education system as a key driver of social mobility since the 1974 revolution, but this 'elevator' is increasingly restricted. A new study by the La Caixa Foundation and BPI reveals that 20% of students—rising to one in three in secondary education—rely on private tutoring, costing families nearly 300 million euros annually. Wealthier families spend 30% more on these services, gaining a competitive edge in grades and national exams. While the system still promotes some mobility, it is increasingly reinforcing inequality, as academic success becomes tied to the ability to pay for extra support and elite schooling.
There is news that informs, news that makes us smile, news that bothers us, and then there is news like this, which touches on dignity and the most basic principles of equal opportunity, which discriminates for social reasons, and which reminds us of the path we still have to travel to allow the social elevator...
Meals served to students who pay tuition fees are better than those provided to children studying there for free.
Meals served to students at Salesianos de Manique who pay tuition fees are better than those served to children studying there for free, leading some to swap the canteen for the snack bar to avoid the 'poor people's food'. At the Salesianos de Manique school in Cascais, there are students who pay tuition and others who attend...
The formidable machine of inequality that is private tutoring undermines our collective ability to fight and vote for the improvement of public schools. Opinion piece by Susana Peralta.
The scenario between luxury and precariousness develops social tension, driving local economic dynamics while putting pressure on the housing market and intensifying social inequality. Chronicle by Filipa Saraiva
Students receiving Ação Social Escolar (school social assistance) have the worst outcomes in completing the first cycle on time, but have improved significantly over the past decade. For the first time, boys and girls have equal results.
Drawing on Manuel da Fonseca's Cerromaior, the choreographer reflects on the Margem Sul and lays bare inequality. Amina is presented on Saturday in Matosinhos, followed by shows in Almada, Moita and Coimbra.
An actress by profession, an active voice in social causes, civic and political movements, and with a long career in national and European politics, Catarina Martins is standing for the Presidency of the Republic for the first time. She is the only woman in the race for Belém and promises to 'look after democracy' in a campaign in which the former coordinator of the Left Bloc wants there to be 'room for all voices' and space to tackle social inequalities, as well as to protect public services and value culture.