“What we want is for the guidelines to arrive as quickly as possible. We are almost in August, the school year starts on September 12, and we are going to have holidays. It is good that these guidelines reach schools quickly,” stated Filinto Lima.
The president of Andaep was speaking to journalists at the end of a meeting between the Ministry of Education and school directors from across the country, which took place in Lisbon this morning to prepare for the upcoming school year.
When asked about the new essential learnings for the subject of Citizenship and Development and the National Strategy for Citizenship Education, which is open for public consultation until August 1, Filinto Lima expressed criticism and considered it “a more political than pedagogical decision.”
“It is a different path from that of a left-wing government. Perhaps, in four years, a left-wing government will come and turn things around for schools,” he said, lamenting the “almost constant” changes, but to which schools are already accustomed.
Nevertheless, regarding this specific change, he is concerned about the little time available until the beginning of the school year for teachers and schools to adapt to new guides for a subject for which teachers have no specific training.
“In September, we will not have that training, but throughout the year, we will demand that it be provided to our teachers,” he explained, noting that the subject of Citizenship and Development is taught by teachers of other subjects who are not qualified to cover certain topics.
“It’s not just about the topics of sexuality or gender identity; it’s about all the topics, in all eight thematic areas. This subject is taught by any teacher, whether from history, English, or Portuguese, and training is needed for these teachers,” he argued.
The Minister of Education, Science, and Innovation has also expressed concern about the preparation of teachers to teach this subject and today, in statements to journalists, even suggested that classroom heads manage to ensure each topic is taught by teachers with the most appropriate training or even by partners from civil society, such as higher education institutions or associations.
Another change planned for 2025/2026 will have an impact outside the classroom and will only be felt by the youngest students, from 1st to 6th grades, who will no longer be able to use smartphones at school.
In this regard, school directors are still waiting for guidelines from MECI, and Filinto Lima mentions some challenges in implementing the measure, especially in 2nd and 3rd cycle schools, where the same recreational areas will be shared by students who can use mobile phones and others who are prohibited from doing so.
On the other hand, the president of Andaep regrets that the restrictions on mobile phone use are only aimed at schools, reporting that students spend a lot of time looking at screens when outside school grounds.
“I don’t blame the Ministry of Education so much, but the Government, society, all of us, we are confining a problem to that space, to those few square meters, thinking that out there in society everything is fine. And everything is not fine,” he warned.
