Public school mission requires guarantees to avoid failures in exams

A Public School Mission (SEP) today questioned the Ministry of Education about what is being done to prevent repeated problems occurring at the time of national examinations this summer.

In a request sent today to guardianship, MEP argues that “the country is entitled to know” what the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MECI) is doing to ensure that “the errors identified at the time of examinations of 2026 will not be repeated in 2027”.

The movement asks 25 questions about the preparation of the next national examinations in a letter that begins by reminding us of the flaws in the digital classification process that led to delays in the dissemination of notes and mistrust regarding the external evaluation system that has existed for about three decades.

“ This trust, built over decades, has been seriously shaken in a single year,” says MEP, who supports the decision to set up a Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry (CPI) to find out what happened, but also demands to know what is being done so that 2027 is different.

MEP wants to know the decisions made regarding the classification model, the reliability of the system, the working conditions of the classifier teachers, costs and contingency plans.

“ It is not enough to announce that the problems will be corrected. It is necessary to demonstrate what has been done, what is being prepared, who takes responsibility and what are the deadlines for its implementation ", defends.

Among the many questions, MEP asks guardianship whether it intends to continue with digital classification and whether it will cover the same number of tests and disciplines.

“ In view of the constraints identified in the reports of the National Jury of Exams and Deloitte, what are the main changes that the MECI decided to introduce in the process of classifying the examinations of 2027? ", questions.

It also asks whether the MECI is considering returning to the paper classification or a mixed model until there are “effective guarantees of the reliability of the digital system”.

In another block of questions on the digitisation of tests, equipment and platforms, asks if the ministry “aims to maintain the centralization” of a single digitization center, located in the Lisbon region, and what changes are planned to correct failures in the association of answers to students, in the reading of QR codes and in the registration of classifications.

It further questions whether complete tests will be carried out on the system before the next examination period and asks for clarification on the working conditions of the classifier teachers, the possible creation of a stable scholarship of teachers and mechanisms to avoid errors or loss of information.

Finally, it requests information on the involvement of external entities, including Deloitte, its contracts and costs, as well as on the overall cost expected for the digitisation and classification of examinations in 2027.

“Will Deloitte continue to provide technical follow-up services to the digital classification process of the 2027 national examinations? If yes, what will be their duties, the recruitment period and the expected costs”, asks MEP.

In the block of questions on “planning, monitoring and guarantees for 2027”, MEP wants to know if there is a contingency plan, including the possibility of returning to the role if serious failures occur in the digital system.

The letter ends by arguing that “the country has the right to know what went wrong in 2026. But he has, above all, the right to know what is being done so that 2027 is different.”