Maths to be compulsory up to Year 12, nomad visa applicants advised to try Ankara, Kazakh IIN corrected by power of attorney
Maths will become compulsory in Years 10–12. Teachers on Reddit are sceptical: many pupils reach Year 10 barely able to read
On 4 November the education minister, Fernando Alexandre, told parliament that maths will become compulsory in Years 10–12 on every secondary school track, including vocational ones. At present only Portuguese and PE are compulsory for all three years. The new curriculum, with its subjects and hours, will go out to public consultation by the end of 2026 and will take effect from the 2028/2029 school year (Jornal de Negócios; our article).
The news divided Reddit. Maths teachers are sceptical: many pupils arrive in Year 10 barely able to read and write, and without new teaching methods and good teachers, they argue, making the subject compulsory will achieve nothing. Others ask whether it will be real maths or a simplified version, and point to British schools, where compulsory maths ends earlier and is sometimes taught in a simplified form.
“I'm a maths teacher. In theory it always sounds nice and sensible, but in practice you have pupils who are almost in Year 10 and can barely read and write, and it's time to move on to harder topics they aren't ready for. Unless maths teaching, and the education system as a whole, is overhauled from the ground up, I don't see any benefit in this.”
Translated from Portugueser/portugal05.11.2026
“A new government changing everything in education is a classic move by now. Coming up with this sort of thing is much easier and cheaper than investing in schools, in us teachers and in pupils. We don't need new syllabuses. We need good teachers, good schools and pupils who have settled into their classes and can really learn.”
Translated from Portugueser/portugal04.11.2026
The proposal has supporters too: in Portugal, they write, people who like maths get teased as nerds, and according to the OECD 40% of Portuguese adults struggle with simple arithmetic. The maths teachers' associations SPM and APM back the proposal but are asking for separate syllabuses for different tracks and enough teachers by 2028 (Observador). What maths will look like for humanities pupils and at vocational schools will become clear during the public consultation.
“Maths has a terrible reputation in Portugal: maybe because it's often badly taught, but it's probably the only subject where a pupil who loves it gets teased as a nerd. According to the OECD, 40% of Portuguese adults struggle with simple arithmetic.”
Translated from Portugueser/portugal05.11.2026
Nomad visa: the chat suggests Ankara instead of Moscow, but only with a Turkish, Georgian or Azerbaijani residence permit
Members of a chat about the digital nomad visa, which is issued to people who work remotely, discussed where to apply if the Portuguese consulate in Moscow refuses (our review). A woman living in Belarus had decided to put together documents for an Italian visa instead, as there is an Italian consulate near her. Others talked her out of it: at the Italian consulate in Moscow, they write, people wait a year for an answer after applying, and those applying on the basis of passive income are kept waiting for years.
“At the Italian consulate in Moscow people just don't get an answer for a year after submitting their documents :)”
Translated from Russiandigitalnomadportugal04.11.2026
The chat named Ankara as the only consulate currently available where documents are accepted without trouble. But you can only apply there with a residence permit for the country you live in: with a Belarusian passport and no residence permit, they write, you will be sent back to Moscow. So for Ankara people recommend a Turkish, Georgian or Azerbaijani residence permit. As for the alternatives, Serbia has no appointments, Thailand is as difficult as Moscow and Indonesia turns down a lot of applicants.
“For Ankara I wouldn't even consider anything other than a residence permit for Georgia, Turkey or Azerbaijan. For now it's the only normal consulate available. Serbia has no slots. Thailand is as crazy as Moscow. Indonesia gives loads of refusals.”
Translated from Russiandigitalnomadportugal04.11.2026
A Georgian residence permit, according to the chat, can be obtained as a sole trader with turnover in any line of business, and since last year there seems to be a separate residence permit for IT workers. The person who gave this advice plans to do exactly that: first a Georgian residence permit, then an application for the Portuguese nomad visa from Ankara.
“Look into a Georgian residence permit. I haven't looked into it myself yet, but I think since last year there's a separate residence permit for IT people, and with it you can apply for the Portuguese nomad visa from Ankara. That's my plan at the moment.”
Translated from Russiandigitalnomadportugal04.11.2026
Non-residents cannot register a new phone for a Kazakh SIM card: after 30 days in Kazakhstan it will be blocked
Many people keep a Kazakh number for local bank cards, because that is where the codes are sent. In a chat about foreign cards, someone asked what happens if you move a Beeline SIM card into a new phone that later ends up in Kazakhstan.
A phone whose IMEI (the handset's own number) has not been registered in Kazakhstan is blocked there after 30 days, and non-residents currently cannot register an IMEI, the chat replied.
“You won't get it through: right now non-residents can't verify an IMEI.”
Translated from Russianrefugecard06.11.2026
This is not a new ban, one member explained: the operator's app simply has a digital ID built in, which checks against the database of citizens, and non-residents are not in it; until this is fixed, that is how it will stay. The advice is not to change phones if the old one is already registered, or to buy a handset locally. And if you leave Kazakhstan within 30 days, they write, the number should keep working in the new phone.
“This doesn't mean anything: the developers just bolted a digital ID onto the app and it queries the citizens' database. But non-residents have their own database at the Interior Ministry, as I understand it. Until they get round to fixing it, that's how it will be.”
Translated from Russianrefugecard06.11.2026
“If you leave KZ within 30 days, it should work.”
Translated from Russianrefugecard06.11.2026
New passport? A Kazakh IIN can be corrected by power of attorney; in Europe, get one at a Russian consulate
The IIN is Kazakhstan's individual identification number; without it you cannot get a local bank card. In a chat about foreign cards, someone asked whether the details linked to it can be updated after getting a new international passport without flying to Kazakhstan. Yes, replied one member, whose IIN had been corrected by power of attorney, though that was back in 2020.
“My IIN was corrected by power of attorney.”
Translated from Russianrefugecard06.11.2026
According to them, all you need is a copy of your passport and a power of attorney certified by a notary in Russia, with no translation into Kazakh and no apostille. The power of attorney names a specific service: representing your interests in correcting the IIN at the state corporation "Government for Citizens", which runs the public service centres (TsON).
“Nothing is needed. A copy of your passport and a power of attorney from a notary in Russia.”
Translated from Russianrefugecard06.11.2026
In another conversation, people living in Europe were advised to get a power of attorney for Kazakhstan at a Russian consulate: according to the chat, it does not need to be legalised or translated. The Kazakh consulate provides notarial services only to its own citizens, and a European notary is unlikely to certify a document in Russian.
“No, their notarial services are only for citizens of Kazakhstan. You can do it at a Russian consulate; for Kazakhstan it doesn't need legalisation or even translation.”
Translated from Russianrefugecard05.11.2026
Schools record a child's marks and absences online. The platform, Inovar or another, is named on the school's website
Portuguese schools record pupils' marks, absences and late arrivals on an online platform. In a chat about schools, someone asked what it is called. One mother had been given a link by her school containing Inovar and the school's name. But there are several platforms, and the one your school uses is named on the website of the school or its group of schools (agrupamento), in the section for parents and pupils, EE/Alunos (EE stands for encarregados de educação, the term for parents and other legal guardians of a pupil).
“Inovar, maybe? I couldn't find it myself; the school gave me a link and it has inovar + the school's name”
Translated from Russianschoolinportugal05.11.2026
“The website of your school or agrupamento should say in the EE/Alunos section which platform the school uses, because there are several, not just Inovar.”
Translated from Russianschoolinportugal05.11.2026
It is worth checking it yourself. Another mother found a note there saying homework had not been done, even though her son insisted none had been set. The chat replied that this means the teacher did not see the homework.
