Celmira Macedo advocates for earlier, multisensory teaching approaches like EKUI to reverse Portugal’s declining PISA results, emphasising early intervention and inclusion.
Celmira Macedo, the creator of the EKUI learning method, says Portugal’s slide in the OECD’s latest PISA results shows why schools must act much earlier, starting in pre-school, if they are to improve reading and maths outcomes later on.
According to the OECD, 28% of 15-year-olds in Portugal were below the minimum proficiency level in both reading and mathematics in PISA 2025. The share of low-performing pupils rose by 11 percentage points from 2015, taking the country back to levels close to those seen in 2006.
Macedo argues that the answer lies in investing in early childhood education and in teaching methods that support language development, phonological awareness and emerging literacy before children enter the later years of schooling. EKUI is a multisensory approach that combines graphic letters, Braille, Portuguese Sign Language, the phonetic alphabet and motor activities to strengthen communication and inclusion.
Evaluations carried out by the University of Beira Interior and the Catholic University in Braga, involving more than 1,500 children, found stronger progress among pupils using EKUI than in comparison groups. In Braga, the biggest gains were seen at age five, with children in the EKUI group making much larger improvements in phonological awareness than those in the control group. In Beira Interior, the method was associated with faster development in communication and language, as well as better pre-reading skills and socio-emotional attitudes.
The results matter, Macedo says, because PISA continues to show a strong link between socio-economic background and school performance. EKUI has also won international recognition, including a place in HundrED’s list of the world’s 100 most innovative educational practices, while supporters say it offers a practical way to reduce inequalities before they become entrenched at age 15.
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