In 2023, Portuguese schools had more than 400,000 children and young people in socially vulnerable situations. Irrespective of their abilities, the number of students from this group progressing to higher education in 2021 was almost 65% lower than the number recorded among students without social support. Furthermore, in 2022, only 10% of children from poor families with few qualifications reached higher education.

The Gulbenkian Aprender initiative was launched in this context. Its aim is to provide ongoing, long-term, local support to children and young people from the 5th to the 12th year of schooling in 38 school clusters across the 11 municipalities of the Tâmega e Sousa intermunicipal community.

With the support of a wide range of partners, the initiative consists of an integrated set of five key actions designed to address the various challenges faced by students from 38 school clusters in the 11 municipalities of the Tâmega e Sousa intermunicipal community:

1. Individual educational support, through a programme to develop core academic skills (reading and writing clubs, English and mathematics);
2. Mentoring, fostering self-regulation, metacognition, communication skills and career guidance;
3. Social and cultural enrichment, through socio-educational experiences such as summer camps, study visits and exchanges, exposing students to new social networks and diverse cultural and geographical contexts, and equipping them with the knowledge and social resources needed to make informed and independent choices;
4. Material support for families, through a grant to help meet basic needs in education, health and access to culture (including school materials and equipment, as well as dental and ophthalmological care, among others);
5. Parenting support, through a parental skills development programme focused on promoting healthy routines and lifestyles, including rules and boundaries, nutrition, sleep, study conditions, physical activity, communication and interpersonal relationships.

With an estimated budget of €3.4 million for a three-year pilot programme, the Gulbenkian Aprender initiative aims to support 150 students during the 2025/26 academic year, and to gradually increase this number to 400 students per year from 2027/28 onwards.

Its implementation on the ground will be ensured by local consortia, at municipal level, bringing together municipalities, schools, social organisations and companies, who will establish partnership protocols. The initiative also has the support of the Tâmega e Sousa intermunicipal community and the Tâmega Business Institute, which coordinates all implementation in the region. Partners involved include the Portuguese Mathematical Association and the Portuguese Mathematical Society, the British Council, Class of Wonders, Knowledgehook and the Volunteers for Reading Association.

More equity in education

Beyond the figures presented above, there is also strong intergenerational transmission of education. When parents’ highest level of education is the 9th grade, only 22% of their children complete higher education. This proportion increases to 58% when parents complete secondary education and to 80% when they hold a higher education degree. Intergenerational transmission is further reinforced by families’ financial constraints: only 11% of individuals whose parents had at most a 9th-grade education and experienced financial difficulties complete higher education. This percentage rises to 31% when families are in a good financial situation. By contrast, financial circumstances do not appear to play a significant role when parents themselves have higher education.

With this initiative, the Gulbenkian Foundation aims to create opportunities that enable young people to make educational and career choices independent of their socioeconomic background, so they can reach their full potential and become positive agents of change in their communities. The initiative also seeks to test and validate approaches that can later inform public policies aimed at advancing equity in education.