The Regional Secretary for Education, Science and Culture assured today the maintenance of schools on the island of Graciosa, revealing that the Azorean Government "is not planning" to close schools on this island.

Speaking on the sidelines of a working visit to elementary schools on Graciosa under the Government's Statutory Visit to this island, Luiz Fagundes Duarte admitted, however, the possibility of "reorganising the existing facilities."

According to Luiz Fagundes Duarte, this process requires the "maintenance of operational schools in several villages with the aim of assuring the quality of learning, the comfort of students and the best conditions to tackle school failure."

The Regional Secretary also assured that a possible reorganisation “will always require the contribution" of the school community, including students, teachers, parents and tutors.

Moreover, Luiz Fagundes Duarte emphasised that the initiatives developed by multidisciplinary teams to support elementary schools have registered a "good adherence" of teachers with regard to the preparation and classroom work. The government official stressed that the outcome of these efforts will only be evident over the next years.

"We are aware of the signs that pointed to the need for the creation of support teams to follow up teachers in the classroom and support them in their struggle for the academic success of students," said the Regional Secretary.