The education sector in Portugal has been given substantial and much needed investments by the European Union. In just 6 years, an impressive series of new buildings and improvements has enabled Portugal to offer students 6 000 new courses and has thus helped the move to increase compulsory schooling to nine years.

The PRODEP programme (Programa de Desenvolvimento Educativo para Portugal, 1989-93) was designed both to widen access to education and to improve its quality. An investment of more than 209 billion escudos was used to fund schools, institutes of higher education and universities, as well as to finance ongoing training for teachers and lecturers.

The PRODEP II programme (1995-99), was an extension of the original programme. It continued the actions undertaken during the first phase and is also emphasising the interaction between education and business in order to meet the needs of industry. During this second phase, the European Union continued to lend its support to the construction of educational buildings from kindergartens to institutes of higher education, especially in the fields of professional, technological and artistic training.

In just four years, 1409 projects were realised, mostly by central government but also by leading professional bodies or the private sector. 4281 training courses have also been given in order to improve the abilities and qualifications of the teaching profession.

Efforts have been made not only to facilitate access to teaching but also to make it more attractive by developing sporting, social and apprenticeship activities for the students. Working conditions and career planning for teachers have also been rethought. The support actions include professional training in information technology, training for trainers and teachers, technological and artistic specialisation, adult education and other types of professional training.

At Coimbra University, for instance, the buildings of the Polytechnic Faculty of Mechanics and Electronics are almost complete. The departments of civil engineering and chemistry have also been given new premises, now making it possible for them to teach 2500 students. This ambitious project will run until 1999 and involves an investment of 3.4 billion escudos (2.5 billion of which is being provided by the European Union).

The huge demand for secondary education in the region of Lisbon has been met by the construction of the Telheiras school. The EU contribution covers 75% of the total cost of this project, which was 400 million escudos. This new school will be opening its doors in autumn 1996 and will accommodate 690 pupils.

PRODEP II's areas of support are many and varied. For example, it has helped Aveiro university build a complex covering 3 450 m2 to accommodate 180 students in four new residential areas. The European Union provided 248.4 million escudos for this project, out of a total cost of 357.4 million.

Ministério da Educação
Phone: +351 21 395 76 06

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case

Urban Policy > Social inclusion & integration > Education

Secondary education