Porto and Matosinhos hosted the National Meeting of the Portuguese Territorial Network of Educating Cities on February 14.

The event brought together more than 100 municipal representatives from the Network, promoting the exchange of experiences and reflections on education and the role of cities in shaping citizenship.

The opening session featured the participation of the Education Councilors of both municipalities: Fernando Paulo (Porto) and António Correia Pinto (Matosinhos), who emphasized the importance of decentralization in implementing educational policies tailored to local realities.

The program continued with a conference by Maria de Lurdes Rodrigues, Rector of ISCTE – University Institute of Lisbon and former Minister of Education (2005-2009), entitled “Education and Proximity Policies”.

Among the topics addressed, Maria de Lurdes Rodrigues highlighted the central role of schools in educating cities, the importance of local political intervention in education, and the principles guiding the distribution of competencies and responsibilities in the decentralization process. Additionally, she provided an overview of Portugal’s educational evolution over 50 years of democracy.

The morning also featured the panel “Challenges of Decentralization”, with contributions from Luísa Salgueiro, President of the National Association of Portuguese Municipalities and Mayor of Matosinhos, and Domingos Fernandes, President of the National Education Council. The discussion focused on the opportunities and challenges of decentralization in education, with a particular emphasis on the competencies and responsibilities of municipalities.

In the afternoon, the National Meeting continued with a working session, during which the Coordination Committee of the Portuguese Territorial Network of Educating Cities was elected for the 2025/2026 term. The selected municipalities were: Lagoa, Lisbon, Porto, Santo Tirso, Soure, Torres Vedras, and Valongo.

Source: City Council of Matosinhos