Portugal bans remote learning for private schools to level playing field
Expat children unable to learn from home after criticism of state school online teaching

The Portuguese government has blocked private schools from offering remote learning for at least a fortnight to avoid their pupils gaining an unfair advantage over state-educated children.
The minority Socialist-led government of Prime Minister Antonio Costa said earlier this month that schools would remain open, but was forced to announce last Thursday that schools would be closed from the next day amid rising Covid infections.
When schools were closed, a decree forced “all schools to take a two week holiday”, The Times reports, with the Portuguese government claiming that “allowing private institutions to teach remotely would put state-school pupils at an unfair disadvantage”.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The ban extends to all international and private schools, meaning that British children studying for GCSEs or A-Levels cannot by law be taught for two weeks.
Fee paying schools will be forced not to pivot directly to online learning after remote learning in state schools was criticised as “patchy” during Portugal’s first lockdown, the Daily Mail says. The ban will last for a minimum of two weeks to allow state schools to prepare to teach online, The Portugal News adds.
It is estimated that 200,000 students currently do not have access to the necessary tools to participate in distance learning.
A Portuguese parent has set up a petition against the ban, which has gathered more than 13,000 signatures so far, while The Association of Private Schools in Portugal said it was unconstitutional to prevent students from learning.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
One parent, who has two daughters at an international school, told The Times that parents are “all very shocked because we are following a completely different educational system to the Portuguese one... the idea of disadvantaging everybody as a solution for the few kids who haven’t got computers is crazy”.
Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.
-
October 4 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include the Einstein files, defunding the police, and an odd tribute to Jane Goodall
-
Mustardy beans and hazelnuts recipe
The Week Recommends Nod to French classic offers zingy, fresh taste
-
Under siege: Argentina’s president drops his chainsaw
Talking Point The self-proclaimed ‘first anarcho-capitalist president in world history’ faces mounting troubles
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of Taiwan
In the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdown
IN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American cities
Under the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctions
The Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?
today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
Pro-EU centrist beats Trump acolyte in Romania vote
speed read The mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, defeated hard-right nationalist George Simion in the race for Romania's presidency
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago