Prime Minister Luís Montenegro defended, in a reflection on the results of the OECD's PISA study, that Portugal's results "were not the best," having worsened in reading, mathematics and sciences. Montenegro considered that these results had explanations in "decisions made over the years" and highlighted the "honesty" with which a former holder of the Education portfolio acknowledged this situation.
The prime minister was speaking at the end of the decentralized Council of Ministers, which took place at the Polytechnic University of Bragança, which will be transformed into the University of Bragança and Northern Interior. The meeting focused mainly on the area of education.
Montenegro announced that the Government is taking measures to "re-implement a culture of rigor" and quality, including steps for the evaluation system, review of essential curricula and valorization of 402 specialized technical training centers. The goal is for students to be able to follow their vocation, whether in vocational education or higher education.
The prime minister also revealed that, following the revitalization of 87 schools under the Recovery and Resilience Plan, the Executive will ensure financing for intervention in 200 more schools, with funding agreed with the European Investment Bank. In his speech, Montenegro also underlined the importance of balanced public accounts to allow more investment in education and public services.
