The merging of the 1st and 2nd cycles of basic education is going ahead. This change represents a reorganization of the first years of compulsory education in Portugal.
With this merger, teachers who teach up to the 4th grade will now teach fewer hours. The measure comes as part of the curricular reorganization resulting from this joining of the two cycles.
The change is directly related to the teaching load of teachers. Currently, 1st cycle teachers have a teaching load of 25 hours per week.
In comparison, teachers at other levels of education, at the start of their careers, have a teaching load of 22 hours per week, which is lower than that practiced in the 1st cycle.
