Portugal shifts national exam grading to digital, mobilises 5,000 security agents to escort the papers
More than 166,000 students sit their national exams starting Tuesday, while behind the scenes a new digital platform takes over correction of over 300,000 papers for the first time.
Exams begin
Portugal’s first phase of national exams starts on 16 June and runs until 26 June. Over 166,000 students are registered. The exams themselves do not change for the students, but the grading process does.
Digital shift
For the first time, practically all exams will be corrected through a digital platform. Last year a trial covered only the 20,000 Filosofia papers. This year the Ministry of Education expands digital correction to all subjects, scanning roughly 300,000 exams (millions of pages) at a single centre: the Imprensa Nacional Casa da Moeda (INCM) in Mem Martins. The president of the national school directors’ association, Filinto Lima, says the change is a major responsibility that moves control from schools to the ministry.
It is a very complex process. Unlike last year’s process, which covered about 20,000 Filosofia papers, this year 300,000 exams will be digitised, in other words millions of pages. It is a huge change, a paradigm change that brings risks and therefore a great responsibility.
Security operation
More than 5,000 agents from the PSP and GNR are involved in transporting and guarding the exam materials. The operation is expected to last 35 days, with officers moving across the country to deliver and collect exams from schools and to ensure procedures at the INCM site.
This change forced the security forces to adapt procedures for transporting, escorting and routing the exams, resulting in a significant increase in trips to the Lisbon district.
Paper-only exceptions
Two subjects remain untouched by digitisation: Geometria Descritiva and Desenho A. These exams will still be corrected on paper, sent directly to the Júri Nacional de Exames clusters after being collected by security forces, and then dispatched by secure courier to other schools.
- 2025 (Filosofia pilot)
- 20000 exams
- 2026 (all subjects)
- 300000 exams
Political backing
Filinto Lima praises the political courage of Education Minister Fernando Alexandre for pushing ahead with the digital shift, despite the complexity.
There was great political courage on the part of this minister of education to take this giant step.
- First phase of national exams begins with over 166,000 students.
- First phase of exams ends.
