The memory of the past, the challenge of the present and the projection of the future confer upon the Regional Secretariat for Education and Culture a key role in the structure of the Government of the Azores.
 
In the past, the access to natural resources and the increase of production levels were the core of the wealth produced by states and communities. In the present time, knowledge is the key to wealth. It is the foundation on which the prosperity of the peoples is built in the early 21st century. In other words, humanity is the key to knowledge through its most important asset - the brain - the source of the ideas that underpin the ongoing process of innovation.
 
In the future, the practice of education and the promotion of culture will become the true levers of the development of the peoples, regions, countries and civilizations. As Nelson Mandela recalled, education is the most powerful weapon which we can use to change our world.
 
Our mission is to educate citizens, who will be able to ensure the full exercise of democracy, as well as future professionals and, eventually, scientists, who will provide their contribution to the progress of economy and the development of society. In this context, the School is the place of excellence for the accomplishment of these aspirations: a community of students, moved by the will and pride of learning, and teachers, moved by the will and pride of teaching. Nonetheless, the success of our mission requires the critical involvement of the community, especially the responsible participation of families, whose contribution is useful to the decision-making process.
 
The educational mission also benefits from being developed by the same governmental department that oversees the area of culture, which preserves and disseminates a legacy of centuries while strengthening and promoting creative activities, and the area of sport, which reminds us of the importance of a sound mind in a sound body.