education

Portugal is raising the monthly per-pupil payment to private special-education colleges by 16% to €836.60 from September, part of a batch of diplomas that also writes accessibility for students with special needs into the Basic Law on Education.

First-phase applications to Portugal's universities and polytechnics passed 55,000 — above all of last year's first phase — as the window closes Thursday. A troubled switch to digital marking of some 300,000 national-exam scripts delayed grades and triggered more than 20,000 appeals.

A report by the education inspectorate, seen by Publico, found the private Porto university admitted 52 students improperly, citing favouritism, missing admission-exam evidence and a 'parallel entry channel' into its Dentistry course, and urged measures to restore legality.

The Council of Ministers has approved a 'continuous' teacher-recruitment model to fill classroom vacancies faster from 2026/2027, and extended the school smartphone ban to grades seven to nine. Secondary school will now start on 21 September.

More than 20,000 re-grade requests — triple last year's — have hit Portugal's national exams after the first all-digital marking, with final results due 7 August and university places on the line.