The new National Strategy for Citizenship Education (ENEC) has been made public and aims to replace the previous one, from 2017, as well as a roadmap, which did not exist in the previous version, of essential learning for the discipline.

This measure fulfils an election promise made by the government and responds to criticism from more conservative sectors that the Citizenship and Development discipline was too focused on topics they classify as gender ideology.

"As a space for individual and collective development, the school assumes itself as a privileged place for building a culture of active, democratic, and responsible citizenship, shared by all, promoting social cohesion," reads the ENEC text, which is open for public consultation until August 1st. "Portuguese society, in its national, European, and global context, faces countless challenges that require responses based on ethical values, knowledge of civic rules and democratic institutions, empathy, and social solidarity," the document states, emphasizing that "Education for Citizenship allows young people to develop dialogue skills, critical thinking, and awareness of their role."

In the mandatory and cross-cutting themes, the government's proposal highlights human rights, democracy and political institutions, sustainable development, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship.

A second level of emphasis is placed on health, risk and road safety, pluralism and cultural diversity, and the media.

"In a global context where we are witnessing growing risks of social fragmentation, misinformation, and polarization, educating for citizenship corresponds to investing in social cohesion around the shared values of human rights, equality, and non-discrimination, which are the foundation of the Portuguese democratic rule of law and free societies," it reads. An analysis of the government's proposal and the current strategy concludes that attention to sexuality or sexual orientation ceases to exist and is only addressed in the context of human rights violations.

Only in the essential learning path for the third cycle and in the human rights chapter are students required to "analyse historical and current cases of human rights violations (including, among others, human trafficking, sexual abuse, gender-based violence, as well as violence against people with non-normative sexual orientation and gender identity and expression)."

Also, only in this phase, between the 7th and 9th grades, does the program provide for "discussing gender (in)equality in contexts such as education, work, and political office."

In the case of animal abuse, which is highlighted in the current program, the government's proposal calls for it to be one of the topics addressed in the sustainable development chapter for second-cycle students, leading them to "reflect on situations in which human action can compromise animal welfare." Interaction with other cultures remains a relevant point, with the current proposal including the term "cultural diversity" instead of "interculturality," which is included in the current curriculum.

In the proposal, the government advocates that primary school students be taught to "express openness and curiosity in learning about others" and to "participate in initiatives that celebrate and value their own culture, as well as other cultures, within the framework of the constitutional values of Portuguese society," among other topics.

Second and third-year students are asked to value "cultural diversity in the school context," discuss "the relevance of protecting the rights of minorities and their cultures," and recognize the "challenges that migrants experience in the host society." Only in high school will students be asked to "critically reflect on the cultural consequences of current globalization processes (homogenization versus differentiation and fragmentation)," to "analyse different forms of discrimination, such as racism, xenophobia, anti-Gypsy, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, and misogyny," and to "debate the role of intercultural dialogue and pluralism in the cohesion of culturally diverse societies."

One of the new features of the program is financial literacy and the topic of entrepreneurship, with younger students being asked to "understand the importance of saving and its objectives" and "differentiate between taking out loans (from family, friends, or banks) and granting loans."

Older students will prepare personal and family budgets, as well as budgets for "an entrepreneurial project, taking into account strategic partnerships and necessary resources," in addition to "validating innovative ideas that can generate value."

The topic of "media" also features prominently in the proposal under public discussion, seeking to "encourage children and young people to interpret information and utilize social media, especially in accessing and using information and communication technologies, aiming to adopt appropriate attitudes and behaviours for the critical and safe use of digital technologies, information, and content generated by artificial intelligence."

Older adults are asked for proposals to "transform and improve the online environment and well-being in their relationship with digital media, as a way to prevent online risks (addiction, cyberbullying, hate speech, polarization, trolling, sexting, sextortion, etc.)."