Sofia Ribeiro assess school year - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Educação, Cultura e Desporto

The Regional Secretary for Education, Culture, and Sport, Sofia Ribeiro, has assessed the progress of the school year one month after it commenced.

She revealed that "only two of the 88 vacancies confirmed after the first phase of the teaching application at the beginning of the school year remain open, and the remaining applications have been solved."

"Currently, 323 needs have been identified, arising from situations such as absences, non-acceptances and relocations, but mostly related to sick leave. Of these, 247 have been met through the centralised teaching applications," she said.

The Secretary for Education also informed that 212 teachers are on sick leave.

Regarding the non-teaching staff, Sofia Ribeiro explained that operational assistants are being placed in school under employment programmes "to cover 217 absences, mostly related to sick leave."

Additionally, "107 assistants have been placed," through the provision of extraordinary support to the families of children with a high degree of disability.

Sofia Ribeiro recalled that, during the four years of the coalition Government's term, more than 700 teachers and about 500 operational assistants joined the regional school staff.

As for digital textbooks, she explained that "licences have not yet been delivered to students in only two schools," which was due to the "late beginning of procurement procedures."

"The rejection of the 2024 Budget hindered the purchase of services and equipment. As the new budget was only published in July and the process follows administrative procedures that cannot be omitted, there have been delays in some processes," she admitted.