Education and Training Monitor 2024

1. Learning for sustainability

The concept of learning for sustainability (LfS) is well embedded in the Portuguese education system. In Portugal, sustainability competences are included throughout the curricula from early childhood to secondary education in a comprehensive approach (European Commission / EACEA / Eurydice, 2024). LfS is a key principle under the students’ profile to be achieved by the end of compulsory schooling¹ with 'Wellbeing, health, and the environment' being one of 10 competence areas. LfS is addressed in several strategic documents, such as the National Strategy for Environmental Education² and the National Strategy for Citizenship Education³. The national curriculum includes a specific subject on ‘citizenship and development’⁴. Schools must design their own strategy for citizenship education.

Portuguese young people believe that learning for sustainability is well addressed in education, but challenges remain. According to a recent Eurobarometer survey, 86% of young people reported that they learnt how to take care of the environment during their education and training, well above the EU average of 72%. Nevertheless, some challenges remain, related to implementing whole school engagement, mobilising all stakeholders for sustainability, including families and the broader community, and providing training and support to teachers.

Teachers are supported through a cooperation network and dedicated training sessions on sustainability education. The ministries responsible for education and the environment together created a network of teachers with technical-pedagogical competences for coordinating and promoting environmental education projects. The projects are developed by schools in partnership with non-governmental environmental organisations, in collaboration with local authorities. Moreover, teachers can attend training provided by education authorities and/or national agencies, which cover two or three out of the four dimensions of sustainability education⁵ (European Commission / EACEA / Eurydice, 2024). Training sessions include webinars for teachers, students and other stakeholders focusing on issues on biodiversity, climate change, energy transition, circular economy and ocean literacy. Training programmes also aim to support teachers in delivering or participating in projects, such as ‘Eco-schools’⁶ and ‘Educating for a Blue Generation’⁷.

2. Early childhood education and care

Portugal has reached the EU-level targets for participation in early childhood education and care (ECEC), but efforts to achieve universal access continue. The participation of children between 3 and the compulsory schooling age in ECEC increased from 90.5% in 2021 to 96.3% in 2022 (provisional data⁸), exceeding the EU average (93.1%). ECEC participation ranges from 100% in the autonomous region of Madeira to 91.4% in the Lisbon metropolitan area⁹. In 2023, 55.5% of children under 3 were in formal childcare, most of them for 25 hours or more per week (up from 47.2% in 2022), above the EU average (37.5%)¹⁰. However, children at risk of poverty or social exclusion participate less in ECEC than those not at risk (44.5% vs 56.7%). Children at risk of poverty or social exclusion represent 11.8% of the children attending formal childcare for at least 25 hours per week in 2023 (EU average 3.8%). To achieve universal access to preschool education, investments to expand the ECEC network continue, supported through the PARES programme financed by the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) (European Commission, 2023).

To further expand capacities, administrative requirements for childcare have been eased. Despite major investment efforts, the current supply of ECEC places seems to be insufficient. A study¹¹ revealed that doubling the available places would be essential to potentially achieve universal coverage of nurseries. Portugal aims to further increase the ECEC capacity by introducing more flexible requirements for childcare providers¹², while maintaining quality. For example, the possibility for daycare centres to operate continuously, including in the evenings and weekends. However, these measures have been contested by the National Federation of Teachers¹³. In addition, new pedagogical guidelines for kindergarten teachers have been introduced¹⁴. Supported by the Technical Support Instrument of the EU, Portugal is now developing a national quality framework for ECEC (2024-26).

3. School education

The high share of students underperforming in mathematics and low share of top performers pose a risk to future productivity and competitiveness. Student performance in basic skills has declined significantly since 2018. The underachievement rate is particularly high in mathematics, at 29.7% (EU: 29.5%) an increase of 6.4 percentage points (pps) since 2018. Portuguese students perform better in reading and science with underachievement rates below the EU average. At the same time, the share of top performers dropped below 5% for all three tested subjects and is now among the lowest levels in the EU, especially in mathematics. In science, the rate has remained unchanged over the past decade and is now 2 pps lower than the EU average (4.9% vs 6.9% at EU level). By contrast, it declined in the other two domains between 2018 and 2022. In mathematics, the rate dropped from 11.6% to 6.7%, shrinking by 4.9 pps in the period, more than at EU level (-3.1 pps). In reading, the decrease was smaller (-2.6 pps) but still higher than the EU average (-1.1 pps). Other international studies conducted in Portugal, namely TIMSS 2019 (before the pandemic) and PIRLS 2021 (after the pandemic), also recorded worse results compared to previous editions (2015 and 2016, respectively).

While the socio-economic gap in basic skills is smaller than in other EU countries, it is widening. Underachievement has risen among disadvantaged students. It has grown by 7.5 pps for students from the bottom quarter of the socio-economic distribution, reaching 46.9% in 2022, slightly below the EU average (48.0%). This has widened the socio-economic gap by 4.9 pps since 2018, in line with EU trends. When it comes to foreign-born students, they are more likely to underachieve in mathematics than native-born students, similarly to other EU countries. About half of them (46.5%) do not reach level 2 in mathematics. Their underachievement rate is 19 pps higher than for students without a migrant background (27.4%). The gap is much smaller (7.1 pps) for native-born students with foreign-born parents (34.5%).

Figure 1: Underachievement rates by field, PISA 2012, 2018 and 2022 (%)

Portugal is implementing several measures to strengthen student performance. To address the negative effect of the pandemic, Portugal launched in 2021 a comprehensive plan to compensate for the learning losses. The ‘21|23 Escola+’ plan was rolled out for two academic years with an allocation of over EUR 900 million, supported by Cohesion Policy funds. In 2023, the Court of Auditors evaluated the plan. Together with a report from the Court of Auditors Assessment (2021), the Learning Diagnostic Study (IAVE, 2021), and the report of the basic education assessment tests (IAVE, 2022), its findings led to the conclusion that schools needed to pay greater attention to mathematics and certain reading skills. Consequently, the plan has been extended to the academic year 2023/2024. The new ‘23|24 School+’ plan, approved in July 2023¹⁵, helps all Portuguese schools set up and implement their own learning recovery plans in a variety of fields. However, the new Portuguese government announced changes, mentioning that they will replace this plan with another one after 2024.

While still below the EU level target, early school leaving has increased and is strongly influenced by place of residence. In 2023, the rate of early leavers from education and training (ELET) was at 8.1%. Although still below EU level target (<9%), it approached the 2020 level, and was significantly higher than in 2021 and 2022, when it remained stable around 6%. Regional disparities in ELET persist, ranging from over 22.9% (¹⁶) in the Azores to 6.1% in the North region, although the gap decreased by about 5 pps. ELET rates increased significantly in all Portuguese regions except for Madeira. In 2023, ELET rates notably increased in cities, while remained relatively stable in rural areas and towns and suburbs¹⁷, with a similar gap (around 2 pps) than the EU average.

The successful Priority Intervention Educational Areas Programme (TEIP) has been extended for another 6 years. During the last 25 years, several editions of the TEIP helped increase inclusive education, improve basic skills, and reduce dropout (and consequently the ELET rates) among Portuguese school students (Costa & Almeida, 2022). In July 2023, the Fourth Generation of the TEIP (TEIP4) was launched for the next 6 academic years¹⁸, strengthening and refocusing previous measures while granting greater autonomy to educational communities. The TEIP4 Programme includes schools located in areas with a high number of children and young people at risk of social exclusion (i.e. schools with a higher number of students who need social support, more students whose mothers have an educational level below upper secondary, and more students with a migrant background).

Substantial investments are underway to modernise school infrastructure with the support of EU funds. With a budget of over EUR 1.7 billion, the School Recovery/Rehabilitation Programme¹⁹ supported by Cohesion Policy funds and the RRF, will help build and rehabilitate 451 schools throughout the country over the next decade. A call for projects²⁰ was launched, with a budget of EUR 450 million, aiming to support the financing of the construction, recovery, and rehabilitation of public education establishments for the 2nd and 3rd cycles, as well as secondary education. In addition, the European Regional Development Fund for 2024-2027 is also supporting building and upgrading school infrastructure with an allocation of EUR 100 million, and up to EUR 1.18 billion will come from EIB and other sources.

Several measures aim to remedy imbalances in the career progression of teachers. The measures aim to partially help the profession recover from the freezing of career progression during the economic crisis (European Commission, 2023). In 2023, the government approved a new management and recruitment regime for primary and secondary school teaching staff and specialised training technicians²¹, which made it possible to offer more than 8 000 teachers fixed-term contracts. Moreover, another approved regulation²² establishes the terms for implementing career progression mechanisms for ECEC educators and teachers in basic and secondary education, benefiting around 60 000 teachers. In addition, another Decree Law²³ alters the legal framework for professional qualification for teaching in preschool, basic and secondary education, aimed at increasing the attractiveness of the teaching profession. Furthermore, the new government reached an agreement with trade unions on frozen service time being recovered in 2 years and 10 months²⁴.

Portuguese teachers are improving their digital competencies. Supported by EU funding (ESF+ and RRF), the Teachers’ Digital Empowerment plan encourages the professional development of teachers in digital literacy and digital skills. In collaboration with the schools association training centres (CFAE), around 91% of all teachers working at public schools in mainland Portugal, and at Portuguese schools abroad, completed a self-reflection questionnaire based on the EU Selfie tool²⁵. This diagnosis tool helped identify teachers’ digital proficiency level²⁶. Training classes were organised on three levels of digital proficiency. In early 2024, there was a total of 926 certified trainers and over 7 500 training actions²⁷. Since 2020/2021, around 73 000 teachers (from around 111 000 teachers in total) have already completed digital in-service training courses.

4. Vocational education and training

Vocational education and training (VET) programmes need further strengthening. In Portugal, 39.7% of pupils in medium-level education attend programmes with a vocational orientation (20221 data)²⁸. Three out of four (74,1% in 2023) recent VET graduates had experienced work-based learning (compared to 64.5% EU-wide)²⁹. Still, recent VET graduates have an employment rate below the EU average (76.7% as compared to 81.0% in 2023)³⁰. To ensure the continuity of vocational education and training (VET) activities, the Portuguese authorities approved a temporary financing measure for VET courses in the less-developed regions of Norte, Centro and Alentejo. The Council of Ministers Resolution n. 42/2024 allows for the temporary financing of these courses to ease the transition from the 2014-2020 ESF operational programme Capital Humano and the 2021-2027 ESF+ programme PESSOAS 2030. The measure targets VET courses running during the 2023/2024 academic year.

Portugal has the highest rate of people with a low level of educational attainment in the EU. Planned investments in training measures under cohesion policy and the recovery and resilience plan (RRP) remain crucial to overcome the challenge. Although the percentage has been decreasing in recent years, in 2023, 41.10% of people in Portugal still had a level of education lower than that of primary and lower secondary. To address this structural bottleneck, the RRP will fund with EUR 710 million to install and/or upgrade specialised technology centres and modernise vocational training centres until end of 2025. Besides, the ESF+ programme PESSOAS 2030 will dedicate approximately EUR 1.5 billion to support primary to secondary education transitions mostly through VET courses over the 2021-2027 period.

The main national agency for VET – ANQEP – completed several analyses on skills and qualification needs, as part of the National Catalogue of Qualifications (CNQ) update. This exercise was concluded in 2023 and was inspired by a new methodology for designing qualifications based on learning outcomes. ANQEP implemented this methodology, which adopts the European recommendations in the field of education and training. This is essential for the transparency and recognition of qualifications at European and international level and consolidates the CNQ by structuring qualifications into units of competence, which are based on and described in learning outcomes.

5. Higher education

Tertiary educational attainment (TEA) rose steadily in the past decade but remains below the EU average. In 2023, 41.5% of young people aged 25-34 held a tertiary degree, below the EU average (43.1%) and the EU-level target (45%)³¹. The TEA rate is much higher than in 2013 (30%), but it has fallen compared to 2021 (45.9%) and 2022 (42.9%). The overall decrease in the TEA rate is mainly due to a reduction of almost 6 pps in the TEA rate for women, while the rate for men remained relatively stable. There are still significant regional differences in TEA rates (from 19.6% in Azores to 48.4% in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area). There are also differences by country of birth (from 36.1% of foreign-born people to 41.8% of native-born people) (EU average 38% and 44.2%, respectively). Nevertheless, according to national statistics, more young people are enrolled in higher education studies. In 2023, enrolment rates again reached an historical record with 446 028 students enrolled. However, the number of higher education graduates in science, mathematics and informatics decreased from 7 928 in 2021 to 7 768 in 2022.

More foreign students are enrolled in higher education. In the academic year 2022/2023, more than 74 000 foreign students were enrolled in higher education in Portugal, including students involved in an exchange programme and students with international student status in the various study cycles (Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral). This figure corresponds to around 17% of the total enrolment in higher education in Portugal, having increased by 121% compared to 2014/2015, when around 33 500 students of foreign nationality were enrolled in Portugal. In 2022, the inward degree mobility³² rate of tertiary graduates was around 9.7% (around 25% from other EU countries) while 9.2% of tertiary graduates were mobile (EU averages 8.7% and 11.3%, respectively)³³.

Figure 2: Outward learning mobility rate in higher education, 2022 (%)

Reform of the higher education access system continues. The 2022 report of the working group on access to higher education³⁴ demanded predictability and stability on the availability of study places, while simultaneously addressing the country's needs for qualified labour, particularly in strategic areas such as the digital and green transition. The access system was reviewed and updated with several legislative acts that will be in force gradually, with completion expected by the academic year 2025/2026³⁵. The measures include the creation of limited quotas for economically disadvantaged students, widening access for the Portuguese diaspora and increasing the quota for mature students older than 23.

Portugal has rolled out a range of measures to improve access for disadvantaged groups to higher education, such as lowering tuition fees and introducing new eligibility rules for scholarships. From 2015 to 2023, the value of the maximum tuition fee for 1st cycle courses in public higher education was reduced by more than EUR 360 (from EUR 1 063 to EUR 697, a 34% decrease in nominal values). Provided by the State on a non-repayable basis, for the 2023/2024 academic year, scholarships have been increased by raising the eligibility threshold for scholarships (maximum capita annual income) for working and non-working students. Moreover, the amount of housing support has been increased³⁶, and measures were adopted to reduce the waiting time to receive the grant. An additional special quota for access to higher education was implemented in 2023 with a pilot project with voluntary institutions. The ROMA Educa Programme was strengthened with 150 scholarships for higher and secondary education for Roma people³⁷. In six editions of the programme, 202 scholarships have been awarded. The programme is currently supporting 39 students – 22 men and 17 women.

Financial incentives aim to boost higher education qualifications for young people. This inter-ministerial initiative, involving the ministries of finance and higher education consists of an annual salary premium (around EUR 700 for holders of a Bachelor’s degree and EUR 1 500 for holders of a Master’s degree) that rewards young professionals working in the country for pursuing higher education studies³⁸. It aims to help recent graduates residing in Portugal who are up to 35 years old at the time the benefit was allocated and who have obtained a Bachelor's and/or Master's degree from national higher education institutions (public or private) from the year 2023 onwards (inclusive). The bonus is paid annually for the same number of years as the duration of the study cycle. The rules also apply to the same academic degrees obtained abroad, provided they are recognised in Portugal.

6. Adult learning

In addition to other challenges concerning adult learning, the participation rate of adults in lifelong learning activities is decreasing. In 2016, 38.0% of adults participated in learning over the last12 months, but in 2022 the rate was 33.4%, below the EU average of 39.5%³⁹. The adult participation in learning in the last 4 weeks has been increasing since 2020 (998%) and stood at 13.3% in 2023⁴⁰, 0.5 pps above the EU average. This translates into a good outreach effort carried out by the responsible authorities in the areas of education and training. The QUALIFICA programme remains the main instrument to upskill and reskill the adult population and it benefits from large investments provided by the ESF and ESF+.

The formal qualification levels of the adult population are significantly low and training for this cohort is particularly difficult. The gaps between the participation rates of low, medium and highly skilled adults are significant (17.0% vs 35.4% vs 60.0% in 2022). In the medium-term, the 2030 national headline target for adult participation in education and training every year (60%) could be negatively affected by this weak participation rate of low-skilled adults. The ageing of Portuguese population will affect, among other things the functioning of the labour market and it is expected to also affect the education and training systems. Relatively low participation rates, particularly in adult education, will limit the number of skilled workers on offer to a more demanding and specialised labour market.

The RRF supported programmes to improve youth qualification have been run adequately. The purpose behind the Youth STEAM Impulse programme with EUR 122 million in funding is to promote and support initiatives aimed at exclusively increasing the higher education graduation rates of young people in the areas of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM)⁴¹. The Adult Impulse programme aims to support the conversion and updating of skills of active adults, through short-term training in higher education, at initial and postgraduate level, in all areas of knowledge, as well as lifelong training. The roll out of the investment will be completed by end 2025. A mid-term assessment on the Impulse Youth STEAM and Adult Impulse programmes⁴² showed a completion rate of 166% of the target of graduates in STEAM fields (10 071 graduates), 76% (30 853 participants) of the target related to adult qualification in collaboration with companies and 105% of the target of students benefiting every year from the modernisation of infrastructure and equipment (225 872 students).