Government defines new rules for financial support to private education in Madeira

The Regional Government of Madeira has published Ordinance no. 249/2026, which establishes the new regulatory framework for granting financial support to private education and teaching establishments in the Region. This diploma, which revokes Ordinance no. 103/2011 and its successive amendments, aims to systematize into a single instrument the financing rules for nurseries, kindergartens, primary, secondary, and vocational education.

Main aspects of the new regime:

• Nature of support: Non-reimbursable financial incentives, divided between investment support (construction, adaptation, modernization) and operational support.
• Access conditions: Funding is conditional on meeting pedagogical and technical requirements, with mandatory student registration on the Regional Secretariat of Education, Science and Technology electronic platform.
• Calculation of support: The investment support value is calculated based on the number of students and a reference value, while operational support considers the number of classrooms or classes and staff remuneration.
• Social support: Annex I of the ordinance defines the co-payment values for families, varying according to the family allowance bracket, with monthly values reaching up to €195.00 for nurseries and €172.00 for kindergartens.
• Transitional provisions: For the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school years, it is exceptionally admitted that pedagogical support in nurseries may be provided by three workers in the absence of a kindergarten teacher, provided there is pedagogical coordination.

This diploma enters into force on the day following its publication, taking effect from the 2025-2026 school year, reinforcing the importance of the private sector in the regional school network.