Storm-Damaged Schools Get 8 More Weeks as Portugal Delays Mock Exams

The Portugal Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MECI) has shifted the digital rehearsal exams for 4th, 6th and 9th-year students from February to 14-23 April, giving storm-stricken schools an extra eight weeks to restore power, internet and classroom space.

Why This Matters

• New audit dates: Families must now mark 14-23 April instead of mid-February.

• More prep time: Schools get 8 additional weeks to train pupils on the EduQA platform.

• No ripple further on: The high-stakes ModA exams (27 May-9 June) and final 9th-grade tests (from 17 June) stay unchanged.

• Local repairs first: Municipalities can prioritise fixing roofs and fibre lines without racing an exam deadline.

What Happened

A series of Atlantic storms in January left dozens of school buildings with leaky roofs, unreliable electricity and patchy broadband—critical weaknesses when assessments are run entirely online. MECI concluded that pressing ahead in February would penalise pupils in the hardest-hit districts of Leiria, Santarém and Viana do Castelo, where some classrooms are still operating on mobile generators.

The Revised Calendar

• 6th Year

• English: 14 Apr

• Portuguese: 16 Apr

• Mathematics: 20 Apr

4th Year

• Portuguese: 15 Apr

• Mathematics: 17 Apr

9th Year

• Portuguese: 21 Apr

• Mathematics: 23 Apr

MECI stresses that the rehearsal is strictly diagnostic: results do not count toward a final mark but flag glitches in equipment, bandwidth and training.

Why the Delay Was Inevitable

Storm damage: Almost 130 school sites reported water infiltration or fallen power lines.

Digital equity: The ministry insists every learner must sit the test under identical technical conditions.

Well-being first: Pupils in temporary classrooms are already coping with shorter schedules and colder rooms; MECI says forcing an exam now would be "educationally irresponsible".

What This Means for Residents

• Parents gain breathing room to organise after-school revision or to schedule doctor’s appointments originally avoided in February.• Teachers may reshuffle lesson plans but can also use the extra weeks to run mock quizzes on EduQA, smoothing out login headaches.• Municipal councils receive a clearer window to file insurance claims for roof repairs without clashing with exam supervision duties.• Private tutoring centres will likely push promotional packages into March instead of January, so household budgets shift but total spend stays similar.

Next Steps for Schools

The ministry recommends every school execute a full bandwidth stress-test by mid-March and file a short readiness report via the SIGE portal. Institutions lacking laptops may borrow from the national "Escola Digital" stock, but requests must land before 1 March to guarantee April delivery.

Looking Ahead

Barring fresh meteorological surprises, MECI does not foresee further calendar tweaks. Still, parents should keep an eye on school group emails: reheated winter storms have a history of damaging rural fibre lines in early spring. For now, April is the new finish line for rehearsal exams; the bigger ModA marathon remains on its original late-May track.