The parliamentary group of the Livre party has raised questions with the Minister of Education, Fernando Alexandre, regarding the government’s recent reform. This reform reduces the structure of the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation and includes creating two new “super agencies” for organizing non-higher education: the Institute for Quality of Education and Evaluation, and the Agency for the Management of the Educational System.
Livre is particularly concerned about the future of the School Libraries Network and the National Reading Plan, as both will be integrated into the new Institute for Quality of Education and Evaluation.
Led by Isabel Mendes Lopes, the parliamentary group seeks clarification on whether the government intends to discontinue these programs or how it plans to ensure that reading and writing habits remain unaffected by efficiency measures that could potentially jeopardize the future of children and young people.
The party views these structures as essential tools for fostering cultural and reading habits among the nation’s children and youth. It insists that the government must ensure that the restructuring within MECI does not compromise the future of public school students and staff.
Livre also inquires whether the government can assure that no Ministry of Education personnel will be dismissed and questions how it will ensure that this extensive reorganization does not negatively impact students, parents, teachers, educational professionals, and planned activities for the new academic year.
On August 7, the Council of Ministers approved several decrees-law that formalize the creation of three new structures and the dissolution of ten others as part of the reform of the Ministry of Education, Science, and Innovation.
The establishment of the Agency for the Management of the Educational System has been approved, which will encompass the Institute of Financial Management of Education and the general directorates of School Establishments and School Administration.
As Minister Fernando Alexandre explained the previous week, the new agency will consolidate all administrative aspects of the system, including human resources.
Additionally, the creation of the Institute of Education, Quality, and Evaluation was approved, focusing on learning quality, assessment, and the educational system. This will include the General Directorate of Education, the National Reading Plan, the School Libraries Network, and the Educational Evaluation Institute.
