New evaluation moments from school year 2024/2025, increased resources for School Social Action and a new scale of support, evaluation of the performance of recovery plans — and their extension to 2026 –, digital training for teachers and less bureaucracy in daily teachers.
These are some of the proposals contained in three draft resolutions and a bill that the PSD Group has submitted to the Assembly of the Republic and which it will propose in the potentative debate on education that it demanded and was scheduled for the 22nd of this month.
In the documents – known on the day when thousands of sector professionals paraded between Marquês de Pombal and Praça do Comércio, in Lisbon, in protest against the policies of the Ministry of Education, led by João Costa –, Social Deputies Democrats present with various proposals to change current regulations and existing regulations in national education.
Calibration tests: two new and the end of three
In a bill, the PSD criticizes the way external assessment of learning is conducted with benchmarking tests in 2nd, 5th and 8th grade, arguing that these exams should be conducted in 4th and 6th grade. ending the evaluation moments in the remaining three years. It adds that the classifications achieved in these two years can be “used to weigh the final classification, at the option of the school or group of schools”.
The delegates also want the 21/23 Escola + Plan evaluated and disseminated (it had set targets and strategies to restore learning after the pandemic years that hit schools so hard) and, as they claim “Portugal [se] stressed because they have not made a thorough evaluation and have not taken any fundamental measures to counter the effects of the pandemic on learning”, the Social Democrats defend the reinforcement of the plan’s funding and its extension until 2026.
ASE and summer schools
In one of the draft resolutions submitted to the AR, the PSD group defends the “involvement of local communities in the promotion of summer schools or in the design of other solutions that reconcile the recovery of learning with the to students with special educational needs,” but without specifying what he considers these summer schools and what their function is.
One of the main proposed changes is related to the School Social Action (ASE). It is currently proposed to increase the number of students covered by such support. And the formula for making this happen involves changing the correspondence between the child support levels and the ASE levels. Step A would correspond to steps 1 and 2 of the fee, B to 3rd and C to 4th.
They also want to increase tuition fees for school materials, and for guardians or students, when they reach the age of majority, to be allowed to access the child benefit scale data held by Finance and Social Security for the purpose of awarding ASE. With airconditioning
The four projects discussed
reduce bureaucracy
One of the motions for resolutions that the PSD group will be presenting is entitled “De-bureaucratisation: bringing teachers back into education”. In it, the 19 deputies who signed it claim that the government has done nothing to remove the bureaucratic processes that teachers must comply with. For this reason, they recommend that the Executive implement the promised plans (Escola + Simple for teachers and Escola 360º +) and that all platforms used in the sector work in a network.
Internships
One of the allegations against the government is that “Portugal stood out because it had not carried out a thorough evaluation or taken some fundamental measures to counter the effects of the pandemic on learning”. Therefore, they argue that the impact of the 21/23 Escola+ Plan should be evaluated. They also propose to strengthen and extend the funding of the plan until 2026. They also want to promote “summer schools” or other solutions that “reconcile the recovery of learning with the recreational aspect and that favor students with special educational needs”. They argue that it is necessary to strengthen teacher training in digital skills.
School social action
Another PSD draft resolution focuses on School Social Action (ASE) and student support. The government is therefore recommended to increase the credit for the ASE in the 2024 National Budget. They also call for a change in alignment between child benefit levels and ASE levels. It is intended that step A corresponds to the 1st and 2nd step of the surcharge, that B corresponds to the 3rd and C to the 4th
Research
Scrapping assessment tests in the 2nd, 5th and 8th years is another proposal, which will be replaced by tests in the 4th and 6th years. The rankings of the latter would be taken into account in the final ranking, according to the choice of the school or group.
Source: DN
