Avelino Meneses highlights innovative educational experiences included in ProSucesso - Azores for Education
The Regional Secretary for Education and Culture highlighted on S. Jorge Island some "innovative" educational experiences that are being implemented in the Azores as part of the programme to promote school success ProSucesso - Azores for Education.
Avelino Meneses spoke on the sidelines of the visit to the "I Learn" project, now under way at Velas Basic Education and Secondary School. On the occasion, he stressed his recent visit to the "New Routes" project at Capelas School, which "deserved the National Education Council's attention" insofar as it was mentioned in a publication on the State of Education 2018.
"These are two experiences included in ProSucesso that fundamentally aim to adapt teaching methods and contents to the experiences of the new and differentiated students of the 21st century," noted the government official.
For the Secretary for Education, the implementation of ProSucesso in all Azorean schools means that "in an increasingly innovative system, hundreds if not thousands of teachers promote a consistent teaching with the aim of addressing students’ needs at this time of compulsory education up to the age of 18."
Admitting that, in terms of teaching, the “results are very important,” Avelino Meneses recalled that, in terms of education, “the transformations occur at a slow pace. Nonetheless, there has been “encouraging” results since the implementation of ProSucesso, as evidenced either “in these innovative experiences or in experiences based on a more traditional approach."
"Before the implementation of ProSucesso, the progression rate in regular education stood at 81% and now it is at 90%, corresponding to an increase of nine percentage points," stressed the government official.
The Regional Secretary for Education stressed that, "obviously," the progress in education stem from "the staff, student work, the efforts and enthusiasm of teachers, and from the cooperation of parents and guardians."
"We have undertaken a major effort for the entire school community to have access to the school and to even feel the need and pleasure of being in permanent contact with the school. In this regard, we believe that, together, we will easily solve the problems that still lie ahead,” said the government official.
Avelino Meneses also highlighted the investment in infrastructures that the Regional Government has been making on the island of S. Jorge since 2015, with the construction of basic and secondary schools in Velas and Calheta, amounting to more than 30 million Euros.
The "I learn" project, which covers students aged 6 to 10 years, intends to implement educational differentiation practices by organising spaces, learning time, activities and diversified materials. It focuses on cooperative and systematic work among teachers.