Voucher Backlog Triggers Nationwide Textbook Shortage in Portugal

As Portuguese families rush to buy new backpacks and sharpen pencils, one essential item is still missing from many kitchen tables: the official school textbooks. The Education Ministry admits the nationwide delay and vows to restore normal distribution “as quickly as humanly possible.” While assurances keep coming, anxious parents, frustrated teachers and overwhelmed booksellers are juggling temporary solutions in the final days before classes resume.

A rocky start to the school year

The routine is now familiar. Every August the government issues digital vouchers through the MEGA platform so that all 1.2 M public-school pupils can collect state-funded textbooks at partner bookstores. This year, however, vouchers were released later than usual, and several publishers reported logistical hiccups in their printing lines. The knock-on effect is visible: many schools in Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve say fewer than half of students have a full set of books on hand.

What went wrong with the voucher system?

Book industry insiders point to a perfect storm. Paper prices have risen by nearly 40 % since 2022, stretching the production calendar. At the same time, the Education Ministry introduced updated curricula for Mathematics and Portuguese, forcing last-minute edits. Those revisions were approved only in early July, leaving publishers barely six weeks to print and ship. A senior source at one major publisher tells us the timeline was “unrealistic from the start.”

Government roadmap to catch up

Education Minister João Costa has ordered an emergency task-force that meets daily with publishers, logistics firms and school boards. According to the Ministry, 800 000 vouchers have already been redeemed and the remaining books will be in stores “no later than the third week of September.” Officials also floated short-term fixes: allowing schools to distribute scanned chapters under an extraordinary copyright waiver and encouraging teachers to rely on open educational resources until hard copies arrive.

Parents, teachers and booksellers speak out

Parents’ associations welcome free materials but say the policy only works if books arrive before the first bell. Some families in Setúbal and Braga are paying out-of-pocket for used copies on social media marketplaces, hoping to claim reimbursement later. Teachers, meanwhile, worry the uneven rollout will deepen learning gaps between classrooms that have the new editions and those still sharing last year’s sets. Independent booksellers complain that uncertainty is driving customers to big-box chains with larger inventories, jeopardising already thin margins in the sector.

Wider debate: should Portugal rethink the textbook model?

The episode reignites discussion over whether Portugal should shift toward digital-first materials as Spain and Estonia have done. Proponents argue tablets would eliminate the yearly scramble and lighten student backpacks. Skeptics raise concerns about screen time, unequal internet access and the nation’s patchy school Wi-Fi. Parliament is expected to hold hearings this autumn on a pilot programme that could see interactive e-books tested in 50 schools across the country.

What happens next?

If the Ministry meets its own deadline, most students should have complete sets before the end of September—two weeks later than ideal but still early enough to realign lesson plans. Failure, however, would hand the opposition fresh ammunition ahead of the 2025 budget debate, where education spending is already under the microscope. For now, families are refreshing the MEGA app, hoping the long-awaited voucher code finally appears before the school gates swing open.