Education, Science and Innovation Minister Fernando Alexandre visited Arganil today to inaugurate the rehabilitation of two schools in the municipality, with an investment exceeding 10 million euros. At the Arganil Secondary School, more than six million euros were invested in the rehabilitation of educational, administrative, sports and leisure spaces, including the construction of a new classroom block. In Côja, the intervention at Professor Mendes Ferrão Basic School 2,3 exceeded 3.6 million euros, focusing on thermal comfort, energy efficiency and accessibility, with a cover being created over the sports field.
When questioned about students who continue to be without a school at the start of the school year, Fernando Alexandre assured that everyone will have a place in public education, although they may not get placement at the establishment preferred by families. According to the minister, only in the last week there were 134 new enrollment requests in Lisbon, and he also anticipates additional cases emerging in October, particularly involving immigrant students.
Fernando Alexandre stated his intention to address at least two specific situations where schools allegedly rejected students despite having available spaces, emphasizing how serious it is when a principal refuses enrollment when capacity exists. The Ministry's departments are currently mapping out available spaces and exploring potential solutions, including establishing new classes, positioning students in a supernumerary arrangement, and reconfiguring existing school facilities.
Arganil's mayor, Luís Paulo Costa, highlighted that the municipality's investment in education surpasses 25 million euros since 2018. These improvements fit into a broader national initiative of approximately 450 million euros from the PRR dedicated to restoring 87 schools, with the Government planning to renovate an additional 200 facilities over the next four years through funding from the European Investment Bank.
