The primary school system may change in Portugal: Teacher shortage warning from unions due to the merger of 1st and 2nd ciclo

A comprehensive reform is being prepared in the Portuguese education system that could change the distinction between 1.º and 2.º ciclo, which has been used for decades.

Minister of Education Fernando Alexandre announced that the first large pilot implementations for the restructuring of the existing first two basic education levels could begin in the 2027/2028 academic year.

The plan is not just about combining the names of the two tiers. What age groups teachers will teach, weekly lesson loads, curriculum, and the change in teacher and school order that students experience as they move from the 4th grade to the 5th grade are also included in the discussion.

However, Portugal's two major teachers' federations, FENPROF and FNE, warn the government:

The reform should not be turned into an indirect tool to close the teacher shortage.

How does the current system work?

1.º ciclo, the first stage of basic education in Portugal, grades 1–4. covers classes.

During this period, the "monodocência" model, in which a single primary class teacher is generally the determining factor in the education of students, is applied.

2.º ciclo covers the 5th and 6th grades and students begin to study with different branch teachers in different courses.

Therefore, the transition from 4th grade to 5th grade is not just a change of class; It also means that the teaching model the student encounters has changed significantly.

The reform under discussion aims to reduce this sharp transition.

A single six-year basic education cycle is on the agenda

behind the reform Only the government does not have an updated teacher policy.

With the Recomendação n.º 7/2026 published in June 2026, Conselho Nacional de Educação (CNE) recommended the creation of a single six-year basic education cycle covering ages 6–12 instead of the current 1.º and 2.º ciclo.

The CNE based the recommendation on a broader study examining international education systems, academic literature and expert opinions.

For this reason, it is not right to present the reform idea only as "the solution found by the government due to the teacher shortage".

There is also a pedagogical and structural discussion.

Teachers' course load can be equalized in 22 hours

One of the important changes announced by Fernando Alexandre concerns the weekly course load of teachers.

Today, the course load of 1.º ciclo teachers is generally 25 hours.

The Minister announced that within the scope of the new system, they plan to make it more compatible with other teachers and reduce it to 22 hours.

FENPROF is not completely against this point.

The Federation states that it has been demanding for a long time that the course load of 1.º ciclo teachers be reduced.

The disagreement arises over why and how to make this change.

FENPROF: “We need more teachers”

FENPROF Secretary General Francisco Gonçalves said that they are not against the harmonization of teachers' course loads, but they are concerned that the reform will become a tool to manage the personnel shortage. He said they did.

One of the examples given by the Federation is Sintra.

According to FENPROF, some school groups in Sintra cannot find teachers for not only one or two classes, but in some cases for more than 10 classes.

The federation's approach is clear: teacher shortages should not be concealed by redistributing existing teachers between different classes or schools.

Distance and mobility warning from FNE

Federação Nacional da Educação (FNE) has similar concerns.

FNE wants clarification from the government on which teachers will teach in which years in the new system, what the required professional qualifications will be, how teacher placement competitions will change, how service periods will be calculated and how teacher mobility will be regulated.

One of the practical problems the organization points out is the geographical size of school groups.

If the new structure requires teachers to work in different schools within the same group, there may be a possibility that some teachers will be sent to a school 30, 40 or even 50 kilometers away.

FNE therefore wants unions, school administrations and municipalities to be involved in the process before the pilot begins.

There are also teachers who support reform

On the other hand, not all teacher organizations have the same opinion on the reform.

Paula Carqueja, President of the Associação Nacional de Professores, welcomed the merger of 1.º and 2.º ciclo. evaluates and argues that the regulation should have been made earlier.

Distributing teachers more efficiently could also help reduce the number of students missing classes due to teacher shortages, Carqueja said.

This view shows that the impact of the reform on the teacher shortage is not necessarily seen as negative.

The question at the center of the debate is rather this:

Can a reform made for pedagogical purposes also reduce the teacher shortage, or will the goal of closing the personnel gap get in the way of pedagogical reform?

What might change for children?

If the reform is implemented, the sharp transition experienced by students from the 4th grade to the 5th grade today may change.

In the model proposed by CNE, education between the ages of 6 and 12 is handled in a more integrated structure.

This can create greater continuity between teachers, curriculum and pedagogical approach during students' first six years of education.

However, it is not yet clear how the implementation will be done.

For example, a simple model such as a single teacher teaching the same class for six years has not been explained.

Therefore, it would be wrong at this stage to conclude that "branch teachers are being abolished in the 5th and 6th grades".

The system does not change in 2026/27

This is the most important practical information for families.

This reform is not implemented in the current 2026/2027 academic year.

Fernando Alexandre foresees the first large pilots starting in 2027/2028.

Therefore this year The current education structure of 1.º and 2.º ciclo students continues.

In the next year or so, the curriculum, teachers' powers, class hours, school organization and the scope of pilot practices need to be clarified.

If the reform proceeds, it could be one of the most fundamental structural changes in the Portuguese basic education system.

But the unions' message is already clear: pedagogical reform should not be confused with the policy of managing teacher shortages.

Resources

Diário de Notícias — André Certã, 10 September 2026 — “Educação. Federações sindicais recusam fusão do 1.º e 2.º ciclos para compensar falta de professores”

Renascença / Público — Cristina Nascimento and Andreia Sanches, September 10, 2026 — “Fusão do 1.º e 2.º ciclos avança, professores até ao 4.º ano vão dar menos horas de aulas”

Renascença — Hugo Monteiro and João Malheiro, September 10, 2026 — “Fusão dos 1.º e 2.º ciclos pode mitigar falta de professores nas escolas”

Conselho Nacional de Educação / Diário da República — Recomendação n.º 7/2026, 18 June 2026

FENPROF — 2026 — Evaluations regarding the education system and 1.º/2.º ciclo restructuring