The Regional Secretary for Culture and Education expressed today his "satisfaction" with the results achieved by the Azorean students in the final Portuguese and Math exams that were taken by 4th and 6th form students nationwide. Nevertheless, the government official conveyed his hope that these indicators be even better in the coming years.

For Avelino Meneses, the preliminary data released by Educational Assessment Institute (IAVE), which coordinates the national exams held in May, already evidence some "improvements" in both disciplines, a trend that has been registered in the past two years.

In the elementary level, the average score of the Portuguese exam is 58.8%, which represents an improvement over the previous two years, when the average was 53.77% in 2014 and 41.43% in 2013.

As for the Math exam, the average score is about 49.8%. This year's results are also better than those registered in 2014 and 2013, 45.61% and 46.58%, respectively.

The preliminary data also show some improvements in the results achieved by middle school students. The average scores of the Portuguese exam recorded a "very slight" improvement compared to 2014, from 51.5% to 51.7%. Despite the negative results, the Math exam was the one that registered a more significant improvement, from 37.9% in 2014 to 39.5% in 2015.

The Regional Secretary for Education and Culture pointed out that, since the implementation of the national exams in 2012, the results achieved by Azorean students have been "improving from year to year," albeit "at a pace that neither satisfies schools, nor the society, nor the Government."

Although they do not meet the expectations of the Azorean Government , these results are nevertheless "a small victory," said Avelino Meneses.

For the Regional Secretary, these indicators encourage the Government to move forward with the implementation of measures, such as the ProSucesso programme, to further improve the indicators regarding student progression and the acquisition of skills in partnership with schools, the community and other private institutions.