The President of the Government stated that the Integrated Plan for the Promotion of School Success - ProSucesso, presented today in Angra do Heroísmo, aims to respond to one of the main challenges the Azores are facing. Hence, he defended the need to involve the entire society in the accomplishment of this goal.

 "The promotion of school success is one of the great challenges we currently face. On its part, the Government is facing this challenge without attempting to play down the scale of this task, but also with determination and the presentation of solutions; the latter will be under public debate for about a month," stressed Vasco Cordeiro.

 During the presentation of ProSucesso, the President of the Government stressed the importance of this issue, not only for children and youngster but also for the Azores insofar it is directly related to "our future as a People and a Region, and to the future of our autonomy."

 Vasco Cordeiro pointed out that ProSucesso demonstrates the Regional Government's attitude of nonconformity and ambition, taking into consideration that it is "not enough" to conclude an ambitious renovation of the school network, to be a pioneer in the introduction of English learning in Basic Education or to register a pre-school enrolment rate of about 100 percent.

 "All these achievements and the work that has already been done is not enough and should not suffice us for the simple reason that the main goal of the Regional Education System is not to serve its own purposes, neither those of the administrative machine nor those of its collaborators," said the President of the Government.

 According to him, the action undertaken by the Regional Government in this area "cannot yield to anything but to the efficiency, merit and results of the measures designed to promote school success."

 Nevertheless, Vasco Cordeiro called for the importance of being clear-sighted and realistic about this process since the results of this effort are not immediate.
 "We need to be clear-sighted and realistic in order to understand that education and the conditions for school success do not begin at the Regional Secretariat or at school boards. In fact, it starts at the home of each Azorean family, where the creation of conditions for school success is not just a right of every child and youngster, but a duty of every parent," said Vasco Cordeiro.

 According to Vasco Cordeiro, the conditions for school success start in the Azorean society as well as in the refusal of a "certain attitude that undermines school value, knowledge and skills." In this context, he defended that the uncompromising and vehement refusal of the "idea that, sometimes, school failure passes on from father to son, as if it was predetermined."

 "As President of the Government and as an Azorean who is aware of the importance of this matter for our collective feature, I call for this fight the effort, hard work, dedication, commitment and professionalism of everyone," from students to parents, teachers, non-teaching staff and the entire regional administration.

 The Integrated Plan presented today includes Scientific Council made up of personalities of recognised merit in the area of Education. The academic and professional path of its members also covers complementary areas, from educational policies to professional experience in basic and secondary education and higher education, as well as management and leadership positions at schools and the monitoring of implemented educational measures.

 António Sampaio da Nóvoa, Ana Maria Bettencourt, António Câmara, Ermelindo Peixoto, Maria Amelia Correia de Campos, Roberto Carneiro and Suzete Pacheco Câmara are the members of the Scientific Council of the Integrated Programme for the Promotion of School Success - ProSucesso. The order establishing this body was recently published in the Official Journal.

 ProSucesso comprises three priority axes: the focus on the quality of student learning; the promotion of the professional development of students; the mobilisation of the school community and social partners, through several measures and programmes.

 The monitoring and assessment of this Integrated Plan will be carried out by the Scientific Council, the Coordinating Commission and the Monitoring and External Evaluation Commission.