More space for classes, through the placement of temporary infrastructures, or extending the school year are the two possibilities on the table, for the parents of Elementary School No. 5 of the Paula Nogueira de Olhão Group, as an alternative to new schedules stipulated by the management from the grouping for about two weeks.
For now, the path of dialogue is being privileged, but the parents of the affected children do not want to lower their arms and guarantee that “any form of protest” is not put aside, and the decision will be taken by the affected parents “in the next Monday".
The times, defend the parents, are harmful to children and families, but the direction of the Group has already justified that the measure was implemented following an inspection carried out at the school, which forced them to extend the hours to comply with the law.
An interpretation of the legislation that does not convince parents and guardians, who have already met with the recently sworn in mayor of Olhão António Pina, who, according to Ana Herculano, president of the Parents Association of that grouping of schools, «showed openness to resolve the situation".
For now, this is «the only development», in a situation that is supposed to be complicated to resolve.
The General Inspectorate of Education and Sciences will have been at the Paula Nogueira Group and identified irregularities, namely in terms of compliance with the minimum times provided for by law.
A different interpretation of the law, introduced this year, meant that breaks were no longer counted, hence the anticipation of the entry of students in the morning shift and the postponement of the departure of the afternoon shifts, in this school with double timetable.
"The more I play with this, the less I understand," he confessed to Sul Informação Ana Herculano, despite the experience she has been accumulating from other years as a representative of her parents. "When talking to people, it increasingly seems to me that this is not the right solution," he said, referring to the extension of hours.
The parent's representative has already made, however, "a presentation to the Regional Directorate and the General Inspection", where she also asks for clarification on the process, since the draft report, the first procedure resulting from the inspection, is not yet available. school can contest.
The Paula Nogueira Group is not the only one that saw the General Inspection to determine the need to change the schedules, but, in another very close case, that of the Afonso III Group, from Faro, the school board intends to contest. Hence, the parents consider that there was “some precipitation” on the part of the directors of the school in Olhão.
"I am now waiting for the result of the General Council, which met yesterday [Wednesday] and deliberated on this matter," added Ana Herculano. The parent representative of the EB nº5 school also already has a meeting scheduled with her peers from Faro, who are in the same situation.
The change in schedules, he argued, came to shake the day-to-day lives of families, "who already had their whole lives organized", due to the schedules stipulated at the beginning of the year. These changes collide with parallel activities of children, sporting and cultural.
If there is no solution by the end of this week, the parents are considering moving forward with protests, which can pass, "not by strike, but by arriving later to classes", complying with the original schedule.
With regard to the afternoon shift, "it will be more complicated", because the parents want to avoid "entering the room and disturbing the work of the teachers, who are not at all to blame for this situation".
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