The government has decided to modify the Citizenship subject, introducing a new National Citizenship Education Strategy (ENEC) and its essential learning elements during the summer, which took effect in September. Schools had until today to adjust to these changes.
“Most schools will not meet the deadline because it is a lengthy process. However, students were not harmed as the existing plan was maintained, and teachers are working on the anticipated themes,” stated Filinto Lima, president of the National Association of Directors of Public School Groups and Schools (ANDAEP).
The Ministry of Education established this year as a transitional period, giving schools until December 12 to determine which school years would cover different subjects within the discipline, ranging from health to traffic safety and cultural diversity.
The structure of the new subject is not solely determined by teachers. The plan for the subject is approved in a class council meeting, where both parents and students are invited to give their opinions.
Filinto Lima further explained that the educational project must also be approved by the General Council of Schools, which includes representatives from teachers, staff, parents, students, as well as the municipality and local community. The issue lies here, he noted.
“The General Councils are not yet formed because recent municipal elections require councils to appoint these members. Without this, documents cannot be approved,” he explained, ensuring that the delay has not affected students’ learning nor worried teachers.
In ANDAEP meetings, “I did not detect any urgency regarding the structuring of this subject and the preparation of this document,” he mentioned, emphasizing that directors are more concerned about other issues such as teacher shortages, bureaucracy, or state reform in Education services.
Filinto Lima pointed out that the decision to revise the subject was not in response to issues faced by schools: “This is not a problem for the schools, it’s a political issue.”
Controversy surrounding the subject arose in 2020 when parents of two young students in Famalicão allowed their children to miss classes discussing topics like sexuality or gender identity.
Four years later, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro announced at a PSD Congress his intention to free the subject from “ideological ties,” citing the revision as a priority. Minister of Education Fernando Alexandre later argued it was not “the most important topic in the educational system.”
This summer, the government presented a new program proposal, which sparked debate as terms like “sexuality” or “sexual and reproductive health” were omitted.
At the end of August, the government approved the National Citizenship Education Strategy, arriving at schools two weeks before classes began.
In the first three months of classes, teachers “taught the content of the subject” and “there was never any rush or negative comment about what was happening in schools,” noted Filinto Lima.
After plan approval, schools must inform parents about all activities planned for the subject. Some have already begun doing so.
Filinto Lima believes the process will be completed in all schools “during January, when the General Councils will be formed.”
The new subject now includes essential learning common to all schools, replacing the 17 thematic areas with eight mandatory domains: human rights, democracy and political institutions, sustainable development, financial literacy and entrepreneurship, health, media, road risk and safety, pluralism, and cultural diversity.
