Africa-Press – Cape verde. In Santo Antão, everything is ready for the start of the 2022/23 academic year. Here, close to eight thousand students are enrolled in compulsory basic education and secondary education establishments. The loss of student population and the challenges of school transport and inclusion of students with special educational needs still persist on the most mountainous island in the country.
Just over 600 teachers receive 7925 students from Compulsory Basic Education (EBO) and Secondary Education in Santo Antão back to school, on 19 September. The education delegates from the three municipalities on the island assured A NAÇÃO that all conditions are in place, with the exception of some adjustments, for the start of the new school year.
In Porto Novo, the largest municipality on the island, the new delegate of the Ministry of Education, Leonildo Oliveira, guarantees that everything is ready to receive the 3,548 enrolled students. There are 2529 from EBO and 1019 from secondary education, divided by 333 teachers.
Construction in progress
In relation to schools, there are still improvements works in progress and to be done, as is the case of the João Madeira Basic School, in Tarrafal de Monte Trigo, which will be remodeled in order to accommodate, for the first time, the 8th year of schooling. , with the construction, by the end of September, of another classroom. However, the ministry guarantees “alternative solutions” if the work is not made available on time.
At the Alfredo Delgado Basic School, in Dominguinhas, the first village of Alto Mira, the flooring, painting and security will be improved. In the other schools, as the delegate assures, there are “small works” in progress with regard to school materials and other necessary improvements.
Other schools to improve
However, he highlighted the need to improve other schools, namely the Marcelino Silva elementary school in Ribeira da Cruz, the Jorge Luís elementary school (Group III) and the new Ribeira de Corujinha school in the city (Group II).
“With the exception of the aforementioned schools, we are in a position to provide a safe return to school in all other schools in the county, although we will always have challenges to face, which come from the dynamics of the educational system”, says Leonildo Oliveira.
In addition to improving schools, the challenge in this dispersed municipality also continues to be school transport, improvement of access conditions to localities and physical education practice in some areas of the interior of the municipality. “School transport remains a challenge that we will have to normalize in the future”, admits the delegate.
Paul
In the municipality of Paul, the smallest on the island, only 1016 EBO and secondary students are enrolled. For the local education delegate, Lineth Cruz, all conditions are already in place for students to return to classes.
“Schools meet all the conditions for returning to school. We have been investing in their rehabilitation, with periodic maintenance so that they are clean, organized and able to receive students, teachers and other employees”, he advances.
However, there are still several challenges faced by the education system in the municipality, namely with regard to the inclusion of children with special educational needs in schools. According to Lineth Cruz, there is also resistance on the part of families to send these students to schools, not believing in the potential of these children and in the ability of teachers to respond to challenges.
The challenge is also to involve, even more, families in general, in the educational and training process of students.
Ribeira Grande
In the municipality of Ribeira Grande, a total of 3217 students are expected in the new academic year. There are 2397 from the EBO and 820 from the secondary school, divided by 282 teachers, according to data provided by the new municipal education delegate, Elisabeth Delgado, who did not provide more information about the preparations for the school year.
In all three municipalities of Santo Antão, there is a reduction in the number of students over the years, a fact that, according to the education delegates, is not related to school dropout, but to the exodus of the rural population to other islands. and a decrease in the birth rate.
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