Testing now would measure the damage, not the learning.
Em Portugal, o Conselho de Escolas pediu ao governo que suspenda os exames do nono ano e as provas de aferição em vários ciclos, reconhecendo que a pandemia deixou marcas ainda abertas no sistema educativo. O organismo consultivo do Ministério da Educação argumenta que avaliar externamente alunos que ainda recuperam aprendizagens perdidas não mede o mérito — penaliza a adversidade. É um apelo antigo da humanidade: que a justiça considere as condições em que cada um chegou à prova, e não apenas o resultado que dela saiu.
- Dois anos de ensino à distância em condições precárias deixaram lacunas de aprendizagem que o regresso às aulas presenciais não conseguiu, por si só, colmatar.
- O ano letivo em curso agrava a situação: isolamentos constantes, ausência de professores em disciplinas-chave e turmas inteiras fora da sala de aula tornam impossível uma avaliação equitativa.
- O Conselho de Escolas exige a suspensão das provas de aferição do 2.º, 5.º e 8.º anos e a eliminação dos exames do 9.º ano como requisito de conclusão de ciclo.
- Diretores de escola, a Comissão Nacional de Acesso ao Ensino Superior e a Confederação Nacional das Associações de Pais alinham-se na mesma posição: retomar os exames agora seria prematuro e injusto.
- A proposta mantém os exames para acesso ao ensino superior, mas sem peso na conclusão do secundário — preservando a flexibilidade adotada durante a pandemia enquanto a recuperação continua.
O Conselho de Escolas, órgão consultivo do Ministério da Educação presidido por António Castel-Branco, aprovou uma recomendação que pede a suspensão dos exames do nono ano e das provas de aferição aplicadas no segundo, quinto e oitavo anos. O argumento central é direto: as escolas ainda não recuperaram o suficiente para que uma avaliação externa seja justa.
A pandemia não terminou com o fim dos confinamentos. Milhares de alunos passaram meses em ensino à distância em condições precárias, acumulando lacunas que os esforços de recuperação — reconhecidos pelo próprio Conselho — não conseguiram fechar. No ano letivo atual, a instabilidade persiste: alunos em isolamento rotativo, professores ausentes em disciplinas examinadas, turmas fragmentadas. Avaliar nestas condições, defende o Conselho, não mede o que os alunos aprenderam — pune-os pelo que lhes foi tirado.
A recomendação propõe que os exames nacionais deixem de ser requisito para concluir o secundário ou transitar de ciclo. Para quem pretende aceder ao ensino superior, as provas continuariam disponíveis, mas sem contar para a conclusão do curso — uma continuidade da flexibilidade já adotada nos dois anos anteriores. Nos cursos profissionais e artísticos, as provas finais poderiam realizar-se à distância, com os formatos a ser definidos pelas próprias escolas.
A posição do Conselho não está isolada. Diretores de agrupamentos, a Comissão Nacional de Acesso ao Ensino Superior e a Confederação Nacional das Associações de Pais defendem o mesmo: regressar aos protocolos pré-pandemia seria prematuro e aprofundaria as desigualdades já instaladas. Enquanto alguns alunos recuperam, outros continuam a ficar para trás — e um exame igual para todos, em condições desiguais, não é uma medida de mérito. É uma medida de sorte.
Portugal's School Council, an advisory body to the Ministry of Education, has called for the suspension of ninth-grade exams and standardized assessment tests across multiple grade levels, arguing that schools have not yet recovered sufficiently from the disruptions of the pandemic to fairly evaluate students. The recommendation, approved on Friday and led by council president António Castel-Branco, asks the government to maintain the emergency measures adopted over the previous two years, when external exams were largely halted to protect students still reeling from prolonged distance learning.
The council's position reflects a hard reality: despite genuine efforts by educators, administrators, and communities to address the educational damage caused by the pandemic, the recovery remains incomplete. Thousands of students spent months learning remotely under poor conditions, and the learning gaps created during that period have not been closed. The council acknowledges the work done to narrow inequalities in educational access, but states plainly that these efforts have proven insufficient to restore the conditions necessary for equal opportunity and fairness in schooling.
The current school year has only deepened the problem. Teachers have faced constant disruption as students move in and out of isolation, with entire cohorts absent from classrooms at any given time. Some schools lack teachers in critical subjects, including those that are examined. This instability makes it impossible, the council argues, to assess students fairly against national standards. External testing under these conditions would penalize students for circumstances beyond their control and would contradict the stated goal of educational equity.
The council's recommendation is specific: suspend the standardized assessment tests administered in second, fifth, and eighth grades; cancel the final exams for ninth-grade students; and eliminate national exams as a requirement for passing subjects or completing secondary school. For students pursuing higher education, exams would still be available but would not count toward graduation—a continuation of the flexibility introduced during the pandemic. For specialized vocational and arts programs, final assessments could proceed through remote means, with schools determining the format.
This position aligns with statements already made by school principals, the head of the National Commission for Access to Higher Education, and the National Confederation of Parent Associations. All have argued that returning to pre-pandemic testing protocols is premature and unjust given the ongoing disruption and inequality. The pandemic did not end when lockdowns lifted; its effects continue to ripple through classrooms, creating a two-tier system where some students catch up while others fall further behind.
The council's argument rests on a simple principle: external assessment should measure what students have learned, not punish them for circumstances beyond their control. When the playing field is unequal—when some students have had consistent in-person instruction while others have spent months in isolation—standardized tests become instruments of injustice rather than measures of achievement. The recommendation asks the government to recognize this reality and to prioritize recovery over accountability metrics.
Citações Notáveis
The efforts made to address pandemic-related educational inequalities have been insufficient to restore fair conditions for learning and equal opportunity.— School Council
External assessment during recovery undermines students and creates situations of injustice.— School Council recommendation
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does the School Council think suspending exams is the right move now, two years into the pandemic response?
Because the disruption hasn't actually stopped. Yes, schools reopened, but students are still in and out of isolation, teachers are missing from classrooms, and the learning gaps created during lockdown haven't been filled. Testing now would measure the damage, not the learning.
But doesn't assessment help identify where students need help?
It does—but only if the conditions are fair. Right now, a student's exam score would reflect whether they had a teacher in that subject, whether they were isolated that month, whether their family had internet. It wouldn't reflect their actual ability or effort.
What about students preparing for university? Don't they need exams?
The council says yes, but only for those students. Keep the exams available for anyone applying to higher education. Just don't make them count toward graduation for everyone else. That way, university-bound students get what they need, and other students aren't penalized for circumstances they didn't create.
Is this just delaying the problem?
It's acknowledging that recovery takes time. The council isn't saying never test again. It's saying that right now, in this moment, when schools are still fractured and unequal, testing would create injustice. Give schools time to stabilize, get teachers back, let students catch up.
Who else agrees with this?
School principals, parent associations, the head of the higher education commission. Everyone working inside the system is saying the same thing: the conditions aren't ready. The council is just making it official.