Regional Secretary for Education and Culture restates that Corvo students will have meals in the next school year
The Regional Secretary for Education and Culture restated in Horta that Corvo students will have meals prepared and served by the local "Santa Casa da Misericórdia" in the beginning of next school year."
Avelino Meneses spoke Tuesday at the Legislative Assembly during a debate on the construction of a cafeteria and a canteen in Mouzinho da Silveira Basic Education and Secondary School. The government official stressed that this service is however, dependent on the conclusion of the works in the kitchen of "Santa Casa da Misericórdia" of Corvo.
This solution was found following several steps taken by this governmental department to overcome a "scarce scenario of solutions and alternatives" given to distance and size of Corvo. It is the one that best defends the interests of the student community and guarantees the quality of the service to be provided, said the Regional Secretary.
Avelino Meneses rejected that, with this intervention, the Regional Secretariat demonstrated a lack of respect for the school's autonomy, stressing that, on the contrary, it intended to explore "a possibility" to ensure that "no one is left behind."
"In an archipelago marked by diversity, solutions do not have to be identical for everyone on every island," the government official said, considering that the "positive" response to each one's needs "can be differentiated and requires diverse solutions."
According to the Regional Secretary, "the only solution" for the provision of meals to Corvo students, who "have the same rights as students from other islands," is not "necessarily" require the construction of a cafeteria and a kitchen in Mouzinho da Silveira Basic Education and Secondary School. The initial investment for this work would be around 300 thousand Euros, in addition to operation and maintenance costs.
For Avelino Meneses, the "duty" of rationality advises the search for an alternative and it was in this context that the Regional Secretariat for Education and Culture has established a protocol of cooperation with the "Santa Casa da Misericordia" of Corvo, which provides, among other things, meals to local students.
The School Board of Mouzinho da Silveira School was informed of all the steps taken. In this context, it was possible to develop the process of acquiring meals at Santa Casa da Misericórdia "in case of agreement" or the "option for another solution" if considered "more appropriate," stressed the Regional Secretary.