Portugal's digital school reform: why did it fail?
In Portugal, the introduction of a new digital marking system for school-leaving exams has caused chaos. Students received their results much later than usual and were unable to apply for university or had no time to prepare for retakes. Commentators speculate on the conservative government's role in the reform and what other factors may have exacerbated the problems.
A result of misguided cutbacks
The government should have made sure the new system was up and running before making cuts at the Ministry of Education, writes Expresso:
“On the eve of the greatest technological challenge ever faced by the assessment system, the structure that was capable of managing the complex annual logistics of thousands of paper-based exams was dismantled. … There is no technology that can solve the problems created by a state that lacks knowledge and experience. Having been kept out of power for several years, the right-wing government has replaced the expertise of the state apparatus with bold ideological dogmas and a destructive, arrogant, reckless and emotionally driven 'reformism'. And therefore with incompetence.”
Don't punish the reformers
The Minister for Education must be given credit for his courage in daring to bring about far-reaching changes, argues Diário de Notícias:
“Fernando Alexandre has something in his favour in this affair. Even if the controversy brings him down, he at least tried to modernise an archaic classification system that consumed countless resources and attempted to bring it into the 21st century. … It's not fair to criticise the indecision or political calculation that so often blocks disruptive political measures while at the same time seeking to excessively punish those who sought to move forward with a reform that was aimed at improving the education system in the long term, even if it was not yet fully developed.”
Lack of planning and supervision
The country needs a change of mindset, argues Correio da Manhã:
“All the major political problems currently facing the country stem from the same source: lack of planning, lack of oversight and a general decline in the quality of public services. No solutions are being put in place to tackle these problems; frequently, people are not even aware that they exist or that they are getting worse. … The state needs a reformer – not sweeping, pompous and useless measures. … It doesn't need a pointless digitalisation of services. It needs a change of mindset. Less artificial intelligence and more human intelligence.”