The Portuguese Government announced plans to proceed in the 2027/28 school year with a pilot project to merge the 1st and 2nd cycles of basic education. The information was revealed by the Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, Fernando Alexandre, in interviews with Renascença and Público.
The change is being prepared in conjunction with the Institute of Education, Quality and Assessment, which is working on reviewing essential learning and the curricular framework. The goal is to bring the two cycles closer together, with the minister acknowledging that the change will not necessarily mean the end of the single-teacher system in the 1st cycle. The transition from 4th to 5th year could therefore cease to represent such a significant shift in the educational model.
The reform should also involve a reduction in teaching hours for 1st cycle teachers, who currently have 25 hours per week of teaching time, compared to 22 hours for other teachers at the start of their careers. Fernando Alexandre considers that this difference no longer makes sense and is open to bringing the workload of 1st cycle teachers closer to that of other teachers, with a reorganisation of school time and student activities.
