Ministry Overhaul Could Split Portugal’s Schools, Teachers Warn

Parents who moved to Portugal for the sun and a slower rhythm often point to public schooling as a decisive factor: classes are free, multilingual support is improving and, until recently, the system scored above the OECD average. That picture is now under review. The largest teachers’ federation, Fenprof, says the government’s summer overhaul of the Ministério da Educação, Ciência e Inovação could split the country into well-funded coastal classrooms and struggling interior schools, unless policy makers rethink both funding and staffing.

What is actually changing inside the ministry?

The Portuguese cabinet has approved a blueprint that compresses 18 separate bodies into 7. Three central directorates disappear altogether, replaced by two new agencies—EduQA for curricular oversight and the Agência para a Gestão do Sistema Educativo for everything from enrolment algorithms to building maintenance. Officials argue the shake-up will slash red tape, yet critics highlight that roughly 45 senior posts will drop to 27, meaning fewer specialists deciding how €7 B in annual education spending is deployed.

For newcomers, the relevant detail is the move of day-to-day decision-making from Lisbon to Comissões de Coordenação e Desenvolvimento Regional and, in some cases, to individual municipalities. If you live in Cascais or Porto this could translate into faster laptop deliveries or extra tutoring. In less affluent Bragança, the same shift may oblige town halls to hunt for funds they simply do not have.

Why teachers fear a two-tier school system

Fenprof’s general secretary, Mário Nogueira, warns that shifting responsibility away from the capital makes the state “an umpire, not a guarantor” of equal education. The union’s internal modelling shows that municipalities in the top revenue quartile can invest €900 per pupil more than cash-strapped districts inland. That gap already shows up in achievement data: students in Algarve scored 53 points higher in Math than peers in Beiras on the 2022 PISA tests. With the ministry reduced to regulatory duties, union economists expect the gulf to widen.

Government lawyers retort that Brussels has long urged Lisbon to decentralise, and that a slimmed-down centre will coordinate, not abandon, local schools. Still, the abrupt elimination of entire directorates—without a staggered handover—strikes researchers at the University of Minho as “running the plane while swapping engines”.

Teacher shortage: the problem parents notice first

Alongside structural reform sits an older headache: too few qualified teachers. More than half of Portugal’s 134 000 teachers are over 50, and projections show 4 000 retirements in 2025 alone. Initial teacher-training programmes are turning out barely a quarter of that figure. The result is what many expat families experienced last semester: rotating substitutes, combined classes and, on occasion, cancelled German, Art or Physical Education periods.

The ministry’s offer of a one-off relocation allowance has tempted some younger graduates back from Luxembourg and the UK, yet starting salaries—€1 470 before tax—still fall short of the private sector. Fenprof argues that until the Estatuto da Carreira Docente is revamped with clear pay progression, the exodus will continue and bilingual programmes prized by foreign residents will thin out.

Money on the table: the budget fight explained

Portugal dedicated 2.7 % of GDP to education last year, well below the 6 % threshold UNESCO suggests for developed economies. Parliament is now debating the 2025 budget, and the draft allocates an extra €320 M, mostly to digital equipment and new creches. Fenprof counters that those funds barely cover inflation and leave nothing for the long-promised career statute review.

The stakes for international families are concrete. A larger slice of spending already flows through municipalities. If your child’s school roof leaks in Évora, the repair bill is paid locally. Wealthy tourist hubs can cope; sparsely populated districts often cannot. The conservative Iniciativa Liberal party has proposed ring-fencing allocations based on a nationwide equity formula, yet the governing coalition has not embraced the idea.

Will your child’s education depend on postcode?

Data compiled by think-tank EDULOG shows significant variation in class sizes: Almada averages 21 pupils per class, Guarda 17. Teacher absence also diverges; in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area last winter, one in four students missed at least a fortnight of a core subject. The new governance model may amplify these contrasts because regional offices can prioritise resources differently. A municipality eyeing tourism may invest in language labs, while an ageing rural council may funnel cash into school transport.

For expat parents wondering whether to settle in Coimbra or Aveiro, the advice from school principals is pragmatic: visit the agrupamento in person, ask about teacher vacancies and inspect support services for non-Portuguese speakers. Under the impending regime, such micro-level differences matter more than ever.

What happens next—and how to stay informed

The restructuring decree is now in the Diário da República and comes into force when the academic year begins in September. Implementation guidelines are due by late August. Fenprof has scheduled a national strike ballot for early October if talks on the career statute stall. Meanwhile, school directors meet weekly with municipal councils to map budgets for canteens, transport and aides.

Foreign residents can track developments through the ministry’s bilingual portal, but local media often break updates faster. Keep an eye on Fenprof’s press releases, the Associação Nacional de Municípios website and, for data-driven insights, EDULOG’s quarterly briefs. Families with children already enrolled may also join the parent committee—Associação de Pais—which by law must be consulted on staffing and infrastructure.

As one Lisbon head teacher summed it up, “Portugal is still a good bet for education, but national guarantees are giving way to municipal realities.” For newcomers, the message is clear: the quality of your child’s classroom could soon hinge less on national rankings and more on the resources, priorities and politics of your chosen postcode.