A letter signed by Ana Alves Pereira, the president of the association, voiced growing concerns among professionals regarding the restructuring being implemented by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Innovation (MECI), particularly concerning the School Libraries Network (RBE) and the National Reading Plan (PNL).
The document emphasizes the significance of RBE and PNL as foundational projects with a recognized impact on education, culture, literacy development, and citizenship in Portugal.
In late July, the Government announced a reform within MECI, which included the dissolution of several entities to be integrated into new agencies.
A week later, decrees were enacted to officially establish three new structures and dissolve ten others. Among the new entities is the Institute of Education, Quality, and Evaluation, which includes the Directorate-General for Education, the PNL, the RBE, and the Institute of Educational Evaluation.
The Association of Librarians, Archivists and Documentalists (BAD) noted that the RBE has played a central role in schools by promoting equal opportunities, educational success, and inclusion by providing access to books, information, and digital and scientific literacies, as well as collaborative learning spaces.
The association questioned how MECI plans to integrate and value the RBE within the new organizational structure to enhance its role in academic success, reading promotion, literacy development, and fostering citizenship among students.
Regarding the PNL, which has been established as a public policy encompassing children, youth, and adults, the association expressed the necessity to understand how its continuity will be ensured in the new structure. This includes maintaining its intergenerational focus and diverse audience impact, guaranteeing its cultural and civic contribution to Portuguese society.
The RBE program was launched in 1996 by the ministries of Education and Culture to develop libraries in public schools at all educational levels, providing necessary resources for reading, access, and use of information in analog, electronic, and digital formats.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the RBE highlighted coverage of 2,426 school libraries, 1,301 teacher librarians, and numerous initiatives promoting reading, inclusion, and literacy.
The PNL was initiated in 2006 as an institutional response to concerns about literacy levels among the general population and particularly youth, which were significantly below the European average, according to the Council of Ministers resolution that established it.
The PNL aims to effectively define and implement public policies enabling the population to develop more reading skills and habits to adequately face personal, professional, social, and cultural development challenges, as stated on its website.
