The Government of the Azores has been recognised by the Reutilizar.org Movement for "good practices" in reusing school books, namely by creating and financing a loan system for schoolbooks accessible to all students.
 
The certificate was signed by Henrique Trigueiros Cunha, a spokesperson for the movement. It was presented to the Regional Secretary for Education and Culture in Porto during the debate when this movement, together with Frente Cívica, promoted the reuse of school books in Portugal.
 
Avelino Meneses participated in the debate as a guest speaker. He defended that "the practice of loan is more educational compared to returning books," because it imparts a sense of individual and social responsibility to students, who learn the advantages of "resource saving" in financial and environmental terms.
 
According to the Regional Secretary, the schoolbook loan system in force in the Azores is a "powerful means" of ensuring "equal opportunities for all" insofar as "only" the non-beneficiaries of School Welfare (ASE) are required to pay a deposit corresponding to 20% of the amount of the schoolbooks on loan, which is reimbursed with the return of the books in conditions for reuse.
 
The schoolbook loan system started in the Region in the school year 2012/2013 and will cover the entire education system until the 12th year of schooling in the next school year 2017/2018.
 
This loan system excludes schoolbooks used by 1st and 2nd form students, taking into account that they write on these books and also colour them, which renders the reuse these books impossible.
 
Avelino Meneses stressed, however, that 1st and 2nd form students who are school welfare beneficiaries receive the manuals free of charge, within the co-funding for the purchase of school supplies.
 
The Regional Secretary also pointed out that, during the school year 2016/2017, some 71 thousand manuals were distributed, of which around 50,500 were reused and 20,500 were new. This corresponds to an investment of around 430 thousand Euros.
 
The Government of the Azores has already invested more than 2.5 million Euros since the beginning of this loan system, said Avelino Meneses.