The reduction in school activity brings serious losses to the training of students. It is estimated that these losses will have serious economic consequences for the future of this generation and for the country. The only way to try to mitigate these losses is to increase the demand and quality of education. The pandemic forced us to make major adaptations, including the closure of schools and uncertainty about their reopening. The real cost of stopping schools has been largely underestimated. Children who are currently of school age will suffer losses in their income throughout their lives. And Portugal will see serious economic losses. [Portuguese: Os custos reais do encerramento das escolas e o que se pode fazer para os enfrentar]