“According to data from the Institute of Financial Management of Education (IGeFE), 66.76% of school textbooks are eligible for reuse,” stated the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MECI) in a response to the Lusa agency.
The data pertains only to textbooks from the 5th to 12th grades, as the authorities have exempted students up to the 4th grade from returning books under the free textbook program.
At the start of the next school year, students in the 1st cycle will receive new free school textbooks, with vouchers for acquisition being issued starting a week ago.
“The MECI believes that the ability to handle, write, underline, annotate, and freely use textbooks contributes to the learning process of students, being a right that should be preserved,” the ministry explained, justifying the exclusion of younger students from the reuse program.
On July 28, vouchers for acquiring new school textbooks began to be issued for students in public schools entering the 9th grade in September, and today vouchers for students from the 5th to 8th grades begin to be issued.
These vouchers are gradually being made available on the MEGA platform (www.manuaisescolares.pt) as classes are formed and information is provided by schools.
The MEGA platform indicates whether students will receive vouchers for new books, which can be collected at participating bookstores, or if used books will be provided, to be collected at the school.
From next week, vouchers will be available for secondary education students and other educational offerings.
