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Portugal rejects IMF call for further education cuts

Xinhua, May 21, 2015 Adjust font size:

Portugal's Education Minister Nuno Crato rejected on Wednesday the International Monetary Fund's call for further cuts in the country's education input.

"Education resources are being concentrated where most necessary," the minister said during a visit to a primary school in Lisbon, according to Portuguese news agency Lusa.

His remarks came in response to the IMF's latest demand for cuts in Portugal's education system, which has suffered harsh cuts over years as part of the 78-billion-euro bailout Portugal signed in 2011 with international lenders, including the European Commission, the IMF and the European Central Bank.

The cuts has left thousands of teachers jobless and itself among the weakest economies in Europe.

"The authorities should target overstaffed sectors, including the education sector, where staffing needs will fall in line with the declining school-age population," said an IMF report released on Monday.

Portugal's center-right government has long been criticized for its tough austerity policies by opposition parties who expect a change in elections scheduled in October. Endi