The Lisbon City Council approved this Wednesday, February 25th, the city’s new Educational Charter, which involved groups, non-grouped schools and parish councils, with Carlos Moedas highlighting that it was necessary to update the document, which dated back to 2008.
The proposal that will now be submitted to the City Council was approved by the Municipal Education Council, in July 2025, and subsequently obtained a favorable opinion from the General Directorate of School Establishments (DGEstE), in November.
Among the guidelines of the document is, as DN reported, the scheduling of interventions in the school park, which involve structural renovations in 49 schools and the construction of 27 new ones, projects to be carried out over three time periods: five, 10 and 15 years, based on prioritization criteria. Five of the new schools should be built within five years. The investment for rehabilitation will be around 743 million euros, plus 306 million for new schools.
However, the funding led to the most discussion at the Chamber meeting. Alexandra Leitão, socialist councilor, confronted Carlos Moedas with the situation and the mayor did not justify where the value for the school operation would come from, which roughly encompasses the value of an entire annual budget in Lisbon. In October, the Government opened the possibility of competition for PRR funds and the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region would have 399.5 million euros for 95 eligible schools. However, Carlos Moedas guaranteed that there will be no way to resort to this same program.
The proposal was presented by the Por Ti, Lisboa coalition, headed by Moedas, with eight councilors – now reinforced by Ana Simões Silva, councilor elected by Chega, who became independent until being included in the Executive with responsibilities. PS, PCP, Chega and Livre abstained, Bloco de Esquerda voted against, justifying that “the budget does not include the necessary funds for the measures, not even the 20 most urgent schools”, attacking the “serious degradation of the city’s schools” and the “lack of a realistic plan.”
The bad weather that hit the country had consequences for schools in the capital. Several concerns were conveyed to the municipality’s president, Carlos Moedas, from both school groups and parents’ associations across the municipality. Twenty parents’ associations responded to the challenge from councilor Carolina Serrão, from Bloco de Esquerda, and were alarmed by the state of schools, describing a daily life hampered by a lack of structural conditions. The demands exceeded three dozen if we include the groups.
Vasco Moreira Rato, councilor for Urban Planning, Housing and Municipal Buildings, said three weeks ago in an assembly that “there are no structural problems identified that put users at risk” and said there were “28 schools considered priority”, remembering that the “State would be responsible for 100% of the expenditure”, estimating it at “more than 600 million euros” in a school park in the municipality that has 141 schools. The Municipal Budget estimated the investment at 38 million.
In the proposal, the Executive also highlighted the “encouragement of professional and artistic education”, with the goal being “the creation of an artistic hub in Bela Vista, new facilities for the National Conservatory’s Artistic School of Dance and the Gregorian Institute, allowing integrated teaching at this institution.”
“We are working on the Lisbon of the future in the present. By planning the school network with a long-term vision, increasing and improving the educational offer, and promoting school success, Lisbon anticipates challenges and prepares the city’s future with rigor and ambition, strategically investing in the quality of public schools and, therefore, in the development of equal opportunities”, said the councilor responsible for Education, Rodrigo Mello Gonçalves.
Apart from the meeting, regarding the Municipal Assembly, Carlos Moedas guaranteed assistance to families affected in Alcântara by subway works and also that he did not allow new local accommodation licenses after canceling inactive registrations.
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