Structure of the chapter

This chapter provides a thematic and chronological overview of national reforms and policy developments in the education sector since 2023. The web pages that follow group reforms in the following broad thematic areas:

• Early childhood education and care
• School education
• Vocational education and training
• Higher education
• Adult education and training

Inside each thematic area, reforms are organised chronologically. The most recent reforms are described first.

The 24th Constitutional Government took office on 2 April 2024, after having established its structure and operations via the approval of the Government Organic Law (Decree-Law No. 32/2024, 10 May). The introduction of this document highlights the need for a global and long-term vision regarding public education policies. Such measures should take into account every child and young person’s entire journey, from nursery school to the highest levels of qualifications. This view is reflected in the inclusion of all education levels in a single government department, the Ministry of Education, Science  and Innovation (MECI). 

The 24th Constitutional Government’s programme (April 2024) is based on six transversal strategic cornerstones that underpin concrete objectives and specific measures for every area of governance. Such measures are scheduled to be implemented by the end of the legislature in 2028.

The current government’s main priorities regarding education are:

• emphasising the cornerstones of human development in education: knowledge, culture and citizenship values (7.1)
• consolidating learning recovery (7.1.1)
• modernising the education system (7.1.2)
• providing widespread access to early childhood education (7.1.3)
• developing a demanding and flexible curriculum, focussed on scientific and cultural knowledge, reviewing  Essential Learning (EL), among other reference documents (7.1.4)
• consolidating school autonomy and improving the decentralisation process in education (7.1.5)
• monitoring learning via review of assessment models (7.1.6)
• facilitating  school access and success for all, as well as the integration of the growing number of migrant pupils (7.1.7 + 7.1.8)
• valuing the teaching profession and attracting new professionals (7.1.10 and 7.1.11)
• reforming the education and vocational training system, while focussing on the workforce acquiring technological and digital skills, thus preparing them for the artificial intelligence revolution (1.1.1).
• adapting upper secondary vocational education and higher education provision to align qualifications with the needs of society and the economy (7.1.9)
• broadening the access base to higher education, focussing on adults without a degree, promoting social justice and taking into account the principles of integration and equal opportunities (7.2)
• coordinating the different HEI provision, promoting quality and attractiveness, while consolidating internationalisation
• adapting training provision to new challenges and the needs of society and the economy, while facilitating links between HEIs and businesses (7.2)
• tailoring social support and improving students' well-being and quality of life (7.2)
• giving students and recent graduates greater exposure to workplace learning (7.2)
• creating the right conditions that facilitate high performance for HE teachers and researchers, while investing in infrastructure (7.2+7.3)
• boosting HEI autonomy and diversifying sources of funding for the higher education system (7.2)
• increasing the synergy between higher education, research and innovation, thus promoting a culture of merit and excellence, based on knowledge, innovation and qualifications, while ensuring a more cohesive, dynamic and competitive system (7.2+7.3)

The 24th Constitutional Government’s programme is geared towards the  2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by the United Nations , as well as Portugal 2030 Strategy.  

The programme indicates the current government's priorities regarding education in a chapter titled ‘A country of education, culture and science for innovation’, presenting a global strategy based on two principles:

• guaranteeing universal, compulsory and free education

• ensuring equal opportunities regarding access to high quality education, thus allowing school success at the different levels of educational.

Structural measures already set in motion:

• widespread access to early childhood education and care (creation of a working group - Despatch No 8251/2024, 24 July;

• new external assessment model for 2024/2025 and subsequent years: Assess better. Learn more (July 2024);

• introduction of  the +Classes +Success Plan in June 2024;
• approval of the ‘Learn More Now’ Plan by Council of Ministers Resolution No 140/2024;
• You Have A Future in Portugal programme (May 2024), which aims to support young people;
• National Vocational Education and Training Strategy.

Important structural measures include:

• Defining the Exit profile of students leaving compulsory education.
• Adopting curricular flexibility measures in basic and secondary education (Decree-Law No 55/2018, 6 July in its current wording).
• Legal framework of inclusive education (Decree-law No 54/2018, 6 July, in its current wording). 
• The  National Strategy for Citizenship Education (ENEC).
• Schools developing innovation plans (Ordinance No 181/2019, 11 June, amended by Ordinance No 306/2021, 17 December).
• Developing the adult education system via the Qualifica Programme (Council of Ministers’ Resolution No 32/2019, 14 February).
• New legal framework for higher education institutions currently being approved by the Portuguese Parliament.

Other strategic documents include:

• Strategy Portugal 2030, which embodies the vision for the next decade and is the reference framework for various policy instruments, such as the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) and the next Community Support Framework 2021-27 (Portugal 2030)
• The Action Plan for Digital Education (2021-2027)
• The Digitalisation Programme for Schools
• The Learn More Now plan