Portugal's Education Ministry received more than one hundred new requests in a single day from students still looking for a school, according to jn.pt. The same reporting notes that 569 students were placed in Almada, Sintra and Amadora, three districts near Lisbon.
The figures point to continuing pressure on the placement system as families seek openings. jn.pt did not specify the date on which the daily total was recorded.
Separately, Education Minister Fernando Alexandre accused the opposition Socialist Party (PS) of blocking the sector's reforms, a claim carried by both RTP and Observador. Observador reported that the minister said the PS was trying to "paralyse" and prevent changes in education. Expresso, meanwhile, quoted a line about the response given to parents: "A ausência de respostas aos pais era absoluta" — the absence of answers to parents was absolute.
Together, the reports sketch a system under strain on placements while the government and opposition clash over the pace of reform. The ministry has not, in the material available, responded to the minister's remarks or detailed how it plans to handle the outstanding requests.
What to watch next: whether the daily intake of requests eases in the coming days, and whether the dispute between the ministry and the PS affects the timing of any announced reforms.