Portuguese parents demand cancellation of 2026 national exams

A group of Portuguese parents has launched an online petition calling for the cancellation of this year’s secondary school examinations, arguing that serious failures in the digital marking system have undermined confidence in the results, and unfairly penalised students.

The petition, which as this story went up online has already attracted more than 1,300 signatures, calls for the urgent intervention of education authorities following what parents describe as “serious and widely acknowledged failures” in the digitisation and electronic marking of exam papers.

“We are not opposed to modernisation,” the petition states. “We oppose a rushed implementation, without adequate testing, that has placed one of the most sensitive moments in our children’s education at risk.”

The parents argue that if authorities cannot immediately guarantee the complete and accurate marking of all examination papers, “the only fair, proportionate and legally sound solution” is to cancel the 2026 national exams altogether, without any prejudice to students.

The petition follows weeks of disruption after technical problems delayed the marking process, forcing the government to postpone the publication of exam results and the timetable for the second round of national examinations.

It also comes on a day that the national marking platform has essentially ‘shut down’, for maintenance – reducing time available for teachers to use it even further.

Parents say the problems extend well beyond the integrity of the marking process, highlighting the emotional, financial and legal consequences for thousands of students and their families.

They warn that many students have experienced extreme anxiety over whether their papers have been correctly marked, fear that errors could affect grades needed for university admission, uncertainty over whether they should request copies or reviews of their exams, and significant emotional stress affecting both mental wellbeing and family life.

The petition also points to financial losses caused by the last-minute changes to the examination calendar.

According to the parents, many families had already booked holidays, flights and accommodation based on the original timetable, while others had arranged annual leave from work. Additional travel and childcare costs have also arisen as families have been forced to reorganise their plans.

“These losses cannot be attributed to parents or students, who bear no responsibility for the technological failures,” the petition states.

The signatories also argue that the problems raise several constitutional and legal concerns, including potential breaches of the principles of equality, fair and accurate assessment, legitimate expectations, state liability for technical failures and students’ right to access higher education.

Given what they describe as the seriousness of the failures and the inability to guarantee that all exam papers have been correctly digitised and marked, the parents conclude that annulling the 2026 national examinations would be “the fairest, most balanced and least harmful solution” for everyone involved.

The petition adds further pressure on the government over the handling of this year’s examination process, which has already drawn criticism from teachers’ unions, school leaders and opposition politicians following widespread technical failures in Portugal’s new digital marking system.

If the exam results are to be rendered null and void, this would constitute an epic failure for the Ministry of Education, which had presented the exercise as an “innovative and complex” reform that remains central to the modernisation of Portugal’s education system.

Hidden this far from wider scrutiny have been opposition party calls for an audit of the company/ companies given the responsibility for this failed process. There may well be further ‘scandal’ when these details finally emerge – particularly as Público explains that the migration to digitalisation in exams has cost the country over seven million euros in the past three years.

Source material: CNN Portugal/ Público