Central level

The financing, establishment and operation of schools;

• Ensuring conditions for equal opportunities and equal access to schools;
• Ensuring high-level teaching, scientific and cultural education;
• Encouraging research and innovation technology;
• The management of higher education schools;
• Ensuring the dissemination of information on educational institutions and projects, and
• Ensuring and monitoring the schools' compliance with the law. National Information Management Platform
• Monitoring frameworks and evaluations.

Responsible ministries/bodies

• Ministry of Education (Primary and Secondary Education)
• Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education (Higher education)
• Ministry of Solidarity, Employment and Social Security / Institute of Social Security (pre-school education.)

Regional level

The Azores:

• The regional education system, including the organisation, operation, human resources, equipment, administration and management of education and teaching;
• The evaluation of the education system;
• Private activities of education, and
• School social work in the regional education system.
  

Madeira:

• Pre-primary, primary, secondary, tertiary and special education.

Responsible ministries/bodies

Regional Authorities of Azores and Madeira

Local level

Municipalities are responsible for:

• Establishing local board of education;
• The construction, equipment and maintenance of preschool, basic and secondary educational facilities;
• The development of a school map to integrate the municipal master plans;
• The creation of local boards of education;
• Ensuring school transport or housing, and
• Supporting the development of complementary educational activities.
• Hire and manage non-teaching staff.

Intermunicipal entities are responsible for:

• Same areas, under agreement with the municipalities and planning of the education programmes on offer in the region
  

Parishes are responsible for:

• providing light maintenance to schools of the first cycle of basic education and establishments of pre-school education

Responsible ministries/bodies

Municipalities

Sources

Estatuto Político-Administrativo da Região Autónoma da Madeira  (Law 130/99 of 29 August).

Estatuto Político-Administrativo da Região Autónoma dos Açores (Law 2/2009 of 12 January).

Lei n.˚ 1/2003 de 6 de Janeiro Aprova o Regime Jurídico do Desenvolvimento e da Qualidade do Ensino Superior [Law No. 1/2003 of January 6, Approval of the Legal Framework for development and Quality of the Higher Education]

Law 75/2013 Legal Regime of Local Authorities

Law 50/2018 Transference of Competences to Local Governments and Intermunicipal Entities

Law 51/2018 Local Finances Legal Framework