“The flight mechanism” is triggered when the threshold of 30% students from foreign backgrounds is exceeded, and this threshold is 50% for the parents of allochtoons,” explains Paul Mahieu. The researcher believes that the issue is first and foremost a psychological one, because “parents are convinced that teaching is of a higher standard in schools with a high proportion of students from the indigenous population.” He further warns that the phenomenon of flight from schools, which is set to continue, could contribute to social problems. For its part, De Morgen argues that “diversity” in schools does not necessarily amount to a problem. “If we believe that education should act as a driving force in social mobility, schools with a socio-economic mix will continue to be necessary."

Parents have objected to excessively difficult topics, but have also complained about 'police-style' test conditions after video cameras were installed in all examination rooms. According to teachers, "the level of aptitude among pupils has dramatically dropped over the past five years": they blame changing values, claiming that the new generation overlooks critically important things such as the satisfaction of learning. School inspectors, meanwhile, say that the results reflect the low level of exam preparation among students.

The OECD report  "is based on a wide range of indicators… not all of which are recent." Diário de Notícias reports that Portugal lags behind other countries in areas like child benefits and tax breaks for families. However, it further notes that "measures implemented by the current socialist government like the reinforcement of town hall schemes to assist schoolchildren in need have not been taken into account by the report."