Part 5/9:
To understand how Portugal reached this juncture, one must consider its historical context. Following a dictatorship that lasted nearly five decades and deliberately suppressed educational advancement, Portugal joined the European Economic Community in 1986 with less than 20% of working-age adults having completed secondary education. Even today, Portugal grapples with one of the lowest education levels within the OECD, with persistent high dropout rates reflecting the challenges of poverty and inequality.