By the time this article is published, the results of the first round of Portugal’s national exams should have been released – assuming everything goes according to plan. As I write these lines, however, there is still considerable uncertainty about how the entire process will unfold. My only hope is that, in the end, students and their families will not be the ones who suffer the consequences.
The minister’s conduct throughout this process has come as no surprise to anyone who has followed his handling of the Portuguese School of Macau (EPM). Since taking office, the minister has made a series of decisions affecting the school that have brought no positive outcomes.
He began by ordering an audit – whose final report has never been made public – because several teachers did not have their special leave renewed. Following that audit, he issued a directive on matters that fall outside his authority, apparently forgetting that the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MECI) does not govern EPM in the same way it oversees other Portuguese schools abroad.
He then delayed approval of the requested special leave permits, forcing the 2024–25 school year to begin without the necessary teaching staff. And finally came the regrettable events surrounding the June 10 celebrations.
Against this backdrop, it was hardly surprising to hear him publicly claim that parents had been imprudent for booking vacations based on a calendar officially published in Portugal’s Official Gazette. According to him, the blame lay with staplers, teachers, and school principals – but never with himself or the services under his ministry.
I have no doubt that MECI is an enormous institution and difficult to manage, and there are undoubtedly officials who will do everything possible to resist reform. But any prudent manager must take that reality into account when making decisions. If, as news reports indicate, there were already problems with last year’s pilot Philosophy exam, why were those issues not resolved before moving ahead with a flawed process?
Arrogance, impulsiveness, and a lack of empathy are not signs of competence – and they do not make a good minister.
