The Portuguese Minister of Education, Science, and Innovation, Fernando Alexandre, promised today to do “everything possible” to ensure that the new principal of the Portuguese School of Macau (EPM) is in office by the start of the next school year.
Following a meeting with the Board of Directors of the EPM Foundation, Alexandre confirmed that the current principal, Acácio de Brito, accepted his invitation to take over the leadership of the Portuguese School of Luanda in Angola starting in the 2026/27 academic year.
Acácio de Brito, who took charge of the Macau institution in March 2023 after leading the Ruy Cinatti Portuguese School in East Timor since 2015, had a controversial tenure. In 2024, his decision to terminate the contracts of at least six local Portuguese teachers sparked intense backlash, leading to a public petition and criticism from local labor authorities, which eventually forced the Portuguese Ministry of Education to step in and reverse the dismissals.
Minister Alexandre downplayed any connection to past controversies, stating that the transfer to Angola is neither a promotion nor a demotion, as all Portuguese schools abroad hold equal strategic importance.
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The Portuguese School of Luanda, which Brito will inherit, is currently run by a provisional administrative committee and has faced its own share of turmoil, including two teacher strikes in 2025 over salary equity, travel subsidies, and working conditions.
Regarding the upcoming transition in Macau, Alexandre noted that while the EPM Foundation will propose a new name shortly, the final appointment remains subject to administrative approvals from the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) executive government.
Beyond leadership changes, the minister confirmed that a requested €300,000 funding increase for the current school year was denied, with the government opting to maintain the same reinforced budget level as the previous year.
Despite the budget freeze, the institution—which was founded in 1998 through a joint effort between the Portuguese State, the Oriente Foundation, and the Association for the Promotion of Macanese Education—is set to undergo a major expansion project.
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The upcoming renovations will upgrade the school’s facade, replace elevators, add new classrooms, and expand its overall capacity to accommodate between 1,000 and 1,200 students.
