Figure 1.--This Portuguese snapshot shows a graduating school group in 1944. Itbwas a trip to the beach at Nazaré. The boys are with their teacher after finishing 4th grade exam. At the time the 4th grade was the last year if compulsory school in Portugal. Nitice theur graduatiion suits.

Education in Portugal like much of Western Europe was for years dominated by the Roman Catholic church. The Portuguese experience was somewhat different, in part because of the Moorish era (8th-11th centuries). Portugal led the European maritime outreach in the the 15th century, but gradually was overwealmed buy larger and more powerful maritime states. Portugal became a backwater of Europe. Some reforms were achieved and the Jesuits expelled (18th century). The Church for centuries kept a time reign on education. Educational reforms were attempted by the First Republic, but stopped by the conservative revolution (1926). Little attention was given to education during the lengthy Saklzar dictatorship. Portugal after World War II was widely seen as the most bsackward country in Western Europe with a lrgely uneducated an illiterate population--especially in rural areas. This did not begin to change until the Socialist revolution (1975). Substantial progress has since been made in narrowing the educatioin gap. And great prograss has meen made in reducing illiteracy.

Dark Ages

We have no information about Portuguese schools in the early medieval period, but to the extent they exoted almost surely would have been connected with the Church.

The Moors (711-1064)

The Moors invaded the Iberian Peminsula (711). This meant that medevil experience in Portugal was different than that of the Western Europe beyond the Pyranees. This is why Napoleon would later say that "Africa begins at the Pyranees". We do not have information on education during the Moorish era, but we know that during this period in the evolution of Islam, education was more advanced and unfettered than educatin in Christiandom. Moorish Spain was the most advanced society of Europe in the 8th and 9th centuries. We assume that the same was true in Portugal, although we have little informatin at this time. The Moors left a profond imprint on Portugal. Perhaps the most revered place in the country is the Fatima shrine. Catholics from all over the world now come in search of miraculous cures. The origins of the shrine was that a Portuguese nobleman was devestated by the death of his wife--a beautiful Moorish girl who converted. He abanodoned his title and entered a monastery. He buried his wife on a high plateau called Sierra de Aire. It is from this Moorish girl that the name Fatima originated. Christians won most of Portugal back before the Reconwquista in Spain. Christians drove out the Moorish rulers abnd seized control north of the Mondego River ((1055-1064). The Reconquista began in earest at the end of the 11th century. The Crusades had begun in the Levant. crusading knights also came to he aid the kings of Le�n, Castile and Aragon. One of the crusaders was Henry of Burgundy. He was an aggressive warrior with ties to Iberia because his mother was Catalan. He married Theresa, daughter of King Alfonso VI of Le�n (1095). The province of Portugal was included in Theresa's dowry. Count Henry ruled as a vassal of Alfonso VI, but in the dynastic wars that followed, Portugal emerged as an indeoendent Christian country.

The 12th Century

Portugal is knon to have had monastic, cathedral, and parish schools in the late medieval period. The education received focused on religion and stressed rote learning.

The 13th Century

The educational system expanded in Portugal during the late 13th century. Both primary and secondary schools were fonded in the larger cities and towns. The University of Coimbra was founded, making it one of the first European univesities (1290). The Church had the predominte role over education, although municipal officials were often also involved. The schools thus stressed authority, hierarchy, and discipline.

The 15th Century

Portugal led the European outreach in the the 15th century. The European voyages of discobery would remake the world. Portugal had some of the most renowned geographers and navigators in Europe.,

The 16th Centtury

Martin Luther launched the Protestant Reformation when he nailed his 95 Thesis on the church door in German (1519). This brought a reaction or Counter Reformation in Catholic Europe. The Inquisition was introduced in Portugal nearly a century after Spain (1530s). The Iquisition sought out Moors and Kews pretending to be Christians as well as any one whi might have Protestat sympsathies. The Inquisition had a chilling affect on education and scientific inquiry. Education was a particular concern and Inquisators sought to "purify" teaching and intelectual thought. The Jesuits were assigned responsibility for education (1555).

The 18th Century

The 18th century is often described as the "Age of Reason" or Enlightenment. The religious wars of the 16th and 17th centuries had caused many Europeans to question religion and the religious control over education. Portugal at the time was a conservative backwater of Europe with the Church through the Jesuits firmly in control of education. But even in Portugal there were cries for change. One of the best known reformers was Lu�s Ant�nio Verney. The first steps toward reform was introduced by the Prime Ministe Marqu�s de Pombal (1750-77). Pombal expelled the Jesuits (1759). He layed the foundation for a state system of primary and secondary schools. He introduced vocational education and financed the hiring of hundreds of new teachers. He helped moderize the University of Coimbra which still had an almost mediebal cufrciculum. Pombal added a departments of mathematics and natural sciences, All of this was expemsive and new taxes had to be levied.

The 19th Century

Portugal as much of Eurpe was disrupted by the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars which followed. After Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo (1815), a consevative reaction set in. Litt;e progress was made in modenizing Portuguese education. There were several efforts. Reform programs were initiated in 1822, 1835, and 1844. For the most part they were not implemented or not fully persued.

The 20th Century

Portugal entered the 20th century as one of the most backward countries in Europe. As much as 20 percent of the population was illiterate. The rate was especially high for women. >br>

The 1900s

Portugal ebtered the 20th century as one of the most backward countries in Europe. As much as 20 percent of the population was illiterate. Much of the opulation, especially in rural areas, received virtually no educatioin at all. The illiteracy rate was especially high for women. A school for girls was not opened in Portgal until the beginning of the century when a school was opened in Lisbon. Some progress was made in higher education with the Agricultural Institute and polytechnical schools opened as well as medical schools in Lisbon and Porto. A new department of liberal arts opened in Lisbon.

The 1910s

The Portuguese monarchy fell and the First Republic established (1910). The new government addressed the country's woefully inadequate education system. The Republic established brand new universities at Lisbon and Porto, opened new teacher training colleges, and created a Ministry of Public Instruction to over see educational reforms. The Republic attempted to reduce illteracy by opening more schools, introduced a more secular curriculum, especially expanding the teaching of science and empirical approaches to subjects.

The 1920s

As in Spain, the liberal reforms in education and other areas caused a reaction in conservative Portugal. The military led by Salazar overthrew the Republic (1926).

The 1930s

Salazar gave little attention to education. He approved the a new technical university in Lisbon (1930). For the most part, however, education changed very little during his rule. There was little innovation and illiteracy rates remained very high. There was virtually no vocational education. Some described Portugal and its education system as the most backward in Western Europe.

The 1940s

This Portuguese snapshot shows a graduating school group in 1944 (figure 1). It was a trip to the beach at Nazaré. The boys are with their teacher after finishing 4th grade exam. At the time the 4th grade was the last year if compulsory school in Portugal. Notice theur graduatiion suits.

The 1960s

Important educational reforms were made in Portugal during the last years of the Salazar dictatorship. Public education was finally made availavle to all Portuguese children (ages 6-12 years). The government enacted laws to establish a more egaltarian education system, but the program was not widely implemented. There was, howver, substantial progress with many new schools opened. Several new universities were also opened.

The 1970s

The Salazar dictatorship was finally overthrown (1975). The initial impct on schools was disruption, especially in the universities, but the secondary schools as wll. Liberal and in some cases radicalized students clashed with the conservative teachers and adminuistrators hired during the Salazar era. The faculty and the students were highly politicized as Socialist, Communist, and conservative groups struggled for control of the country and the educatioinal system. A new Constitutio was approved (1976). The Constitution committed the country to eliminating the centuries old problem of illiteracy. Other progressive provisions included special education for the handicapped, and a guarantee of university autonomy. While the educational systemm was comletely secularized, Catholic schools were not closed. The Constitution also guaranated the right of parents to choose private schools, which in Portugal primarily meant Catholic schools. There were also changes in the basic legal structure which included laws dating back to the 18th century. The educational system continued to be highly centralized. The Ministry of Education and Culture establishes a national education policy. Local authorities have littlecsay in the curiculum or administration or independent authority to tax.

The 1980s

The political situatin in Portugal moderated during the 1980s and this was reflected in the country's schools as well. The emphasis shifted from politics to acrtual education. The Government began to increase both access and the quality of education. The goal was to bring Portugal up to the standards of the rest of Europe. Wuth Portugal now in the Europran Union (EU), funds were obtained from the EU to modernize the educational system. A major advance during the 1980s was the creation of a badly needed vocational training program (1983). By the end of the decade over 10,000 children were participating in the program, over 6 percent of school-age cohart. It was a 3-year secondary age program to prepare students to get jobs after grade 11.

The 1990s

Portugal in the 1990s made some progress in bringing educational standards up go those in the rest of Western Europe. One area still largely not addressed, however, was pre-school education. Most pre-schools were private and fee paying. This mean only a small part of the children went to pre-scools. The basic school system was 6 years of primary education, broken down into 4 years in the first or primary cycle (grades 1-4) and 2 years in the second or preparatory cycle (grades 5-6). This is what the Portuguese refer to when they mention prepratory schools. Nerly all students attended primary school. There were still considerable difference between educational opportunities in rural and urban areas. Many children in rural areas still did not go beyond the 4 years of the primary cycle. The primary preparatory cycle was intended for those children preparing for secondary educatiion. An attempt was made to accomodate older students who might already have jobs. Secondary education included a 3-year unified course (grades 7-9). Only about 30 percent of the children beginning primary school entered a secondary school program. The rates are higher in the cities, but mny rural children do not persue secondary studies. After the initial 3-year secondary program, next was a 2-year complementary course (grades 10-11). Students preparing for the university or technical colleges persued a final year of secondary studies (grade 12). The country continues to face substantial problems. Teachers are poorly paid and facilities limited. While Portuguese education still lagged behind the rest of Western Europe, that gap was substantially narrowed in the 1990s, and in particularly the illteracy rate substantisally reduced.

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Created: 10:43 PM 5/6/2007
Last updated: 10:44 PM 5/6/2007