José Matias Alves, a Professor at the Faculty of Education and Psychology of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa (FEP-UCP), recently presented the results of his research on the school management system in Portugal at a symposium at the Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp) in Brazil. The event was attended by several education experts from both countries.
The faculty took part in a round table discussion on “Research on school management in Portugal and Brazil”, where he highlighted some key ideas about the Portuguese governance model.
According to Matias Alves, the national school faces challenges such as an excessive mandate, a complex and poorly articulated system, and a democratic management matrix that is ambiguous and tends to be "anarchic". He also highlighted the difficulties faced by leaders in promoting effective learning and the reluctance of schools to assert themselves as agents of local development.
The round table was attended by representatives of Unesp – São Paulo State University, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE) and Municipal University of São Caetano do Sul (USCS). The exchange of experiences led to the conclusion that there are significant differences in the school management systems of the two countries, particularly regarding the hierarchical structure and the degree of centralisation. While the school management system in Portugal is more centralised, in Brazil state and municipal schools have more regulatory power.
The value of sharing knowledge
José Matias Alves emphasised the importance of sharing knowledge between countries, saying that "sharing experiences and problems helps to think about the structure of school governance, since the ultimate goal is to provide a better education for all citizens". Although no future research is planned, the teacher believes that participating in the 2nd REIPEGE Symposium - Dialogues in Network - Brazil and Portugal opens doors for the development and deepening of this issue.
The presentation was well received by the audience, who seemed interested in deepening and developing the topic. Matias Alves' online participation in the symposium, which took place on 8 October 2024, reinforces the Faculty of Education and Psychology's commitment to research and knowledge sharing in the field of school management.
