The Regional Secretary for Education and Training attended today the opening ceremony of the renewal works of Padre Manuel Ernesto Ferreira Elementary School and Kindergarten at the invitation of Vila Franca do Campo Town Hall.
On the occasion, Cláudia Cardoso revealed that preschool enrolment in the Azores reached 95% among children aged 4 and 100% among children aged 5. In this context, the government official praised the work carried out in this area.
The Regional Secretary made a brief assessment of the activities carried out by the Regional Government over the last years in the area of education regarding the number of new buildings, renewal and expansion works, and new classrooms that are better adapted to the needs of students, particularly those with special needs.
The government official also defended the role of teachers and parents in this decisive level of education, stressing that all children should have the right to study on equal terms, regardless of the socio-economic conditions of their families.
Cláudia Cardoso considered that the school builds the true identity of citizens and plays a valuable role in the acquisition of knowledge. In fact, the school provides students with learning tools that will be essential for the remainder of their school path, which has now been extended to 18 years.