Portugal Education Minister addresses student placement delays

Portuguese Education Minister Fernando Alexandre stated that 54 students across the country were awaiting school placement this past Monday. He noted that more than 30 of these students had only submitted their applications on Friday afternoon, making same-day placement impossible.

Alexandre explained that new enrollment requests arise daily due to factors such as students moving residences, transitioning from private to public education, or being foreign nationals. He assured that the educational administration aims to resolve all new requests within a 24-hour window.

The situation coincides with the start of the 2026/2027 academic year, which has also seen changes to teacher placement procedures intended to accelerate the filling of available schedules. Due to concerns regarding student placement and teacher shortages, the Socialist Party (PS) has called for the minister to appear before the Assembly of the Republic to provide explanations.