According to the results published on 29 September in the publication "Effective Policies, Successful Schools", Portuguese students were the only ones in the OECD who have been significantly improving their performance in Reading, Mathematics and Science.

In the report that aggregates the results that 15-year old students have on the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) tests since 2010, Portugal stands out as the only country of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that has been able to "significantly improve" its students' knowledge of Reading, Mathematics and Science over the years.

"These results are even more admirable when we see, and corroborated by the said report, that Portuguese schools have slow internet systems, inefficient teaching platforms and a huge shortage of staff in schools", the union stresses in a statement.

This is one of the gaps pointed out by the OECD, which reports that only one in three pupils in Portugal in 2018 attended schools where the internet was fast or there was an online teaching platform.

On the other hand, the report also highlights that it is in Portuguese schools where the lack of human resources is most felt, with Portugal appearing in third place in the list of countries where directors most regret the lack of professionals.

In reaction to data released on 29 September, the SIPE also adds that, alongside the lack of professionals (teachers, technical and operational assistants) schools are still facing the problem of an ageing teaching staff.

"Despite the extremely aged teaching staff and the continuous loss of authority and prestige, Portuguese teachers continue to show, consecutively, great professionalism and commitment to the profession", the teachers' representatives say.