Portugal's schools and public services face heatwave and exam disruptions

During a severe heatwave, many Portuguese schools, courts, hospitals and health centres are operating without adequate ventilation or air‑conditioning. Reports describe exam rooms reaching temperatures above 30 °C, forcing students to pause tests and raising concerns about the impact on learning and health. A mother of a student said, “Isto tem impacto na vida dos miúdos,” while the president of the judges' union warned that “não se pode exigir uma Justiça humana tratando de forma desumana quem a sustenta.” Health‑care workers also complain that the lack of cooling endangers vulnerable patients such as the elderly, children and those with serious illnesses.

In a separate education dispute, a group of parents and guardians has launched an online petition demanding the annulment of the 2026 National Final Exams. They cite technical failures in the digital grading system, including swapped answers, missing continuation sheets and mismatched scans, which they argue compromise the integrity of the results. The petition, signed by over 4,000 people, states, “Nós, pais e encarregados de educação… manifestamos a nossa profunda preocupação e indignação perante as falhas graves e amplamente reconhecidas no processo de digitalização e classificação eletrónica das provas.” The parents seek a fair solution to avoid psychological stress and financial losses for students and families.