At Avelar Brotero Secondary School in Coimbra, during an event with the Governor of the Bank of Portugal for Savings Day, the official emphasized that the State Budget increased investment in education by 6%, amounting to an additional 621 million euros.
“Especially in the field of education and teacher training, where we have many gaps due to underinvestment in recent years, both in career advancement and professional development, we now need to attract more teachers,” said the minister.
According to Fernando Alexandre, a significant portion of the additional 323 million euros allocated solely to education is “precisely for teacher training.”
Inside Avelar Brotero Secondary School, the official received a letter from representatives of the Teachers’ Union of the Central Region demanding support and assistance for students with specific needs.
The Minister of Education, Science, and Innovation stated that the issue is scheduled to be discussed in a meeting next Thursday.
When questioned by journalists, Fernando Alexandre clarified that the closure of the International School of Aljezur, which occurred a week ago, “took a long time to be implemented, unfortunately.”
“The school does not meet the required conditions in terms of facilities and lacks recognition for international curriculum standards, and the State must ensure that mandatory schooling exists and that schools meet the conditions,” he stated.
Fernando Alexandre expressed hope that students are not adversely affected by the management’s delayed compliance with the closure decision and assured that there are no other schools of this type at risk of closure.
In a written statement sent to Lusa, the Ministry of Education, Science, and Innovation (MECI) clarified that the private educational establishment was closed for not having “any operating authorization, whether provisional or definitive, and is therefore not approved by the Ministry.”
The International School of Aljezur “was compulsorily closed” last Friday, in a joint action by the General Inspectorate of Education and Science (IGEC), the Directorate-General for Educational Establishments (DGEstE), and the National Republican Guard (GNR), the MECI noted.
Since 2022, the school “has refused to comply with the administrative orders for closure,” with several orders issued in this regard, the ministry added.
