The Regional Secretary for Education and Culture assured in Horta that the sectors of education, culture and sport "will be awarded priority status by the Government of the Azores" and, for that reason, will benefit from increased funding in 2015.

Speaking at the end of the hearing at the Committee on Social Affairs of the Legislative Assembly on the proposed Plan and Budget for 2015, Avelino Meneses underlined the "increased investment" in these areas compared to this year; it rose from 71 to 80 million Euros.
Given the "limitations of resources," the Regional Secretariat for Education and Culture has "the necessary conditions to not only maintain, but also to expand its goals and objectives," underlined Avelino Meneses.

According to the Regional Secretary, this increase in investment will be primarily reflected in the area of education, "especially in two major areas: construction of school building and educational projects."

As for the construction of school buildings, the Plan comprises several interventions, including the construction, remodelling or renewal of 11 schools. In coming years, it will be possible "to solve the problem of school facilities in the Azores," stressed Avelino Meneses.

On the other hand, the government official mentioned "the substantial increase in the funds granted to educational projects," which, according to the Europe 2020 Agenda, require "the reduction of school failure and the eradication of early school dropout."

Under this measure, the Regional Secretary for Education and Culture emphasised the scope of the project designed to promote school success. According to him, "this project will naturally join past initiatives that were also intended to fight school failure and that have achieved a certain degree of success."

"We want to continue them, extend their scope and create a plan to combat this problem. We believe that we all the conditions to overcome it," said the government official.

Avelino Meneses also highlighted the additional investment for the area of culture, which, in addition to the promotion of cultural activities, is also directed to a series of interventions that will be carried on all islands.

In this context, Avelino Meneses mentioned the following interventions: the completion of the works of the Angra do Heroísmo Public Library and Regional Archive; the renewal of the Santo André Museum Centre at the Carls Machado Museum in Ponta Delgada; the continuation of the museum project for Corvo as well as for the tower of Santa Maria Airport; the works of Francisco Lacerda Museum on São Jorge; the construction of the shipbuilding museum centre of Pico Museum in the village of Santo Amaro and the transformation of the Trinity House into a submarine cable museum centre.