Reports by Deloitte and the national exams board on this summer's on-screen marking describe a double failure in identifying papers, trouble in four core subjects and a proposal for a contracted, paid pool of teacher markers.
Only 13 percent of Portuguese lower secondary teachers are satisfied with their salary, the OECD finds, and 38 percent of secondary teachers are 55 or older. Three in four of the empty timetables are in the Lisbon region.
The second phase of the national access contest placed 292 more students than in 2025, but Bragança alone was left with 885 empty places. Enrolment runs from 1 to 3 October.
Police logged 4,075 school incidents in 2025/26, up 4.6 percent, with 1,426 assaults and 60 weapons seized. Sexual offences and drug dealing rose too. Head teachers say schools need more psychologists and social workers.
The government and unions have agreed a new legal regime for the network that teaches Portuguese to emigrants' children and at foreign universities. It will cost about 8.6 million euros.
Families deduct 30 percent of a student's rent, capped at 400 euros, when the school is more than 50 km from home. The receipt must say so, the student must register on the tax portal each year, and halls of residence count too.
The council has 1.8 million euros for about 1,200 students with a Cascais tax address, on degree and CTeSP courses anywhere in Portugal. Applications go through MyCascais, in the student's own name, by 18:00 on 16 October.
