The number of immigrant students in Portuguese schools has increased by 160% in the last 5 years. This increase has been noticed by the Education Ministry which is making arrangements in schools for these students. These young students and children will be accommodated according to the criteria.
Immigrant Students Increased By 160% In Portugal
There has been an increase in immigrant students from the year 2018/19 to the year 2023/24. This increase has been recorded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MECI). The presentation has been given by the OECD report “Education at a Glance 2024”. The Minister of Education, Fernando Alexandre stated:
Between 2018/19 and 2023/24, we have seen an increase of more than 160% in immigrants in primary and secondary education.
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It is recorded that there were around 53,000 foreign students from various countries across the world in the year 2019. This represents around 5.3% of the total number of students that are accommodated in the country. This number rose to 140,000 in the last year. It represents around 13.9% of the total number of students present in the country. This data has been released by the OECD report for the year 2024.
The minister believes that the increasing number of foreign students is a big challenge for the country. They need to keep up with the number of students that is increasing in the country. The decrease in several students in the Portuguese school was due to the increase of foreign children in the schools. There have been around more than 70,000 new student enrollments in the last 2 years combined. This number seems to be increasing in the later years. There were around 39.500 students recorded in the year 2022/23 and 33,500 students recorded in the year 2023/24.
Minister Of Education Assures Public To Take Measures
The minister of education, science, and innovation said that he will make sure to implement some measures for these new students. He believes that more than 30,000 students are enrolled in schools every year from various countries. These students are enrolled in different schools all over the country. The Government of Portugal will take measures for each and every student in the country as it is responsible for every student as Immigrant Students Increase by 160%. He stated:
More than 30,000 foreign students enter our education system every year, and they are all over the country. This poses immense challenges for us.
He has also promised to take measures very soon to tackle this issue. At this very moment, the stats show that around 14% of students in primary and secondary schools are considered to be from other countries. This average is much higher in cities like Lisbon and Algarve where foreign students prefer to study. The number of foreign students might increase in the upcoming year as well.
The main problem arises for the teachers in the schools. These foreign students do not possess the skills to speak the Portuguese language. According to the stats, around 25-30 % of the students cannot speak Portuguese. The minister believes that a greater number of foreign students might be a “good problem” for the Government of Portugal. He further added that he believes these foreign students are part of the Portuguese government. They simply cannot close the classrooms due to the arrival of foreign students. The minister also stated during the presentation of OECD that:
The integration of immigrants is essential for the functioning of our economy, but above all for our society to remain cohesive. The integration of these people depends on education and begins with the children of these immigrants. If we fail in education, we will fail in our migration policy
The stats show that more students are choosing Portugal as their preferred destination for education. Portugal has a good schooling system and some of the universities of Portugal even rank in the 301-400 bracket as well. The number of foreign students in higher education has increased from 4% to a whopping 12% from 2013 to 2022. This increase might be an issue for the Education Ministry, but measures will be taken to solve this issue.
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