“The first part of the external audit on the data from services concerning students without classes has yet to be delivered, and it is expected to be submitted in the coming days,” the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MECI) stated in a written response.
The audit was requested by the government after MECI conducted a review on November 22 regarding the number of students without classes during the first term: approximately 2,300 students, marking an 89% decrease compared to the previous year.
The data for the 2023/2024 school year was challenged by the opposition and unions, leading to the provision of alternative figures by the ministry’s services, prompting the request for an audit.
The aim is to clarify the discrepancy and confirm the data for the current academic year, with initial conclusions originally expected by the end of March.
Due to delays in the contracting process, MECI then targeted April for the completion of the first part of the report, a deadline that also was not met.
Following this, a second part will be delivered, addressing “proposals for improving the system to ascertain the number of students without classes at different times of the academic year.”
In January, Minister Fernando Alexandre expressed the intention to implement, starting from the next academic year, an information system to accurately monitor the number of students without classes, considering the auditors’ recommendations.
