It was by recognizing the difficulties associated with distance learning that the Government chose to extend the teaching activity for three more weeks than initially planned, until today, also allowing secondary school students to have more time to prepare for the national examinations, also postponed.
The end of the 3rd term is also marked by the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and by the Minister of Education, Tiago Brandão Rodrigues, who today visit the Fontes Pereira de Melo Secondary School, in Porto, where the 11th students. And 12 say goodbye to the school year.
Little is known about next year, besides that it should start between September 14th and 17th, dates advanced on Tuesday by the Minister of Education, Tiago Brandão Rodrigues.
Even so, a certainty pointed out by parents, school principals, teachers and the government itself is that the first period of next year will necessarily be dedicated to the recovery of the lessons that have yet to be consolidated.
On the same day that he announced the dates for the 2020/2021 school year, the Minister of Education said that the first five weeks of next year should be dedicated to “recovering and consolidating learning” by students, but school principals have already underlined that it is necessary to ensure conditions for this to be possible.
Both the president of the National Association of School Directors (ANDE) and the president of the National Association of Directors of Groupings and Public Schools (ANDAEP) agree that schools will need more autonomy in September to manage this work.
“The Ministry of Education has to trust schools and grant them the necessary autonomy to make the best decisions,” said ANDE president Manuel Pereira, stressing that each school has a different reality.
In an interview with Lusa, former Minister of Education Nuno Crato also addressed the issue, arguing that students most affected by distance learning will need “special care” at the beginning of the next school year.
However, the former governor recognized that, despite the problems of this model, remote work can be positive if it serves as a complement to classroom teaching.
The Ministry of Education, which should be preparing the normative order for the Academic Year Organization, has not yet informed whether or not this will be the scenario that will mark the 1st period.
For the time being, the tutelage is listening to the various representatives of the educational community and, according to the teachers’ unions heard on Thursday, the Government has shown its willingness to fully resume the face-to-face classes as of September.
However, the secretary general of Fenprof, Mário Nogueira, regretted having left the meeting with the Ministry of Education without knowing concrete proposals for the organization of next year, adding that there was a commitment to meet again with the unions.
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