In a press conference at the parliament, the PS parliamentary leader, Eurico Brilhante Dias, accompanied by socialists Porfírio Silva and Aida Carvalho, emphasized the party’s goal for a “more democratic, inclusive” school management that addresses “some issues identified in the relationship between the general council and the school management.”
In line with this, the PS parliamentary group has submitted a bill proposing that school administrations be elected by the educational community (teachers, staff, and representatives of students and parents), removing this responsibility from the schools’ general councils.
Porfírio Silva mentioned that this change in the election of school administrations aims to “prevent the interference of local party politics in school life,” arguing that the current model has led to “a certain crossover between municipal candidates and candidates within schools.”
The socialist explained that the general council of schools will focus more on strengthening “community ties,” addressing issues such as the use of facilities or strategies for relations with higher education institutions.
The PS is also advocating for greater collegiality in school management to enable decision-making by teams, while retaining some specific functions of a director.
Porfírio Silva clarified that the PS does not seek a break or “radical discontinuity” with these changes, but rather an “incremental improvement in the experience of recent years.”
The PS is calling for changes in schools’ pedagogical councils, with “greater bottom-up participation,” where there would be more student participation and “a more plural and participative election process,” giving this body “a more central role” in school life.
The socialists also proposed another bill aimed at “democratizing access to student associations” in primary and secondary education, suggesting that student associations can be formed even without the ability to formalize and approve their own statutes.
The PS explained that currently, there is a “set of formal requirements that students cannot always meet,” proposing that these associations could operate “by adopting a statute model that is legally established and ensures democratic functioning.”
The socialist bench also presented a resolution for the government to evaluate the process of transferring competencies from the central administration to municipalities in the field of education, legislated when the PS was in government, noting that “there is no longer regular public reporting on what is happening” in the interactions between municipalities and schools.
Among other initiatives, the PS is urging the government to adopt a strategy focused on school cybersecurity issues, review the career of the General Inspectorate of Education and Science, advance the valuation of operational and technical assistants in schools, and account for all years of teachers’ service.
The party also wants the National Education Council to be asked for a study “that looks into the revision of the Student and School Ethics Statute.”
