FPIES Country Partner: Portugal
The Directorate-General of Education of the Ministry of Education is responsible by law for developing, implementing and monitoring national policy for inclusive education, through its Special Needs Services.
For more information about country-specific data on inclusive education from Portugal, access the Country information for Portugal on the right side of this page.
Partner representatives
- Filomena Pereira: Filomena is the Director of the Department of Special Needs Education, Directorate-General of Education of the Ministry of Education. In the FPIES project, she is a member of the Project Advisory Group.
- Jerónimo de Sousa: Jerónimo is a researcher and adviser to the Directorate-General of Education of the Ministry of Education in the area of inclusive education. In the FPIES project, he is a Country Analyst.
The country study visit to Portugal
The role of the Portuguese Ministry in the FPIES project was to host one of the six country study visits (CSV) involving policy-makers from three of the other five partner countries. The CSV examined in depth the system of financing special needs and inclusive education in Portugal and identified features, challenges and opportunities within the model currently in use. A wide range of relevant stakeholders participated in the study visit and discussed the set-up and impact of financing policies in Portugal.
The responsibility for the design, management and financing of public education has historically been linked primarily to the Ministry of Education in Portugal, with an appropriate allocation in the state budget. In recent years, this responsibility has been progressively decentralised and the responsibility shared. Schools have more autonomy and municipalities are more involved. Municipalities are financed by the Ministry of Finance and by their own revenues, generated by local taxes.
The general strength of the system discussed by the CSV visitors was a clear commitment to the development of an inclusive education system, supporting both performance and equity for all learners. This was evidenced by the transformation of special schools into resource centres, the development of support measures and programmes, as well as by the orientation and aims of the new legislation.
The Country Study Visit Reports and Country Reports from Portugal are available for download below.