Their bags were already packed and expectations were high. But, a few hours away from leaving for Braga, where they would participate in the National School Initiates Championships, students from schools across the Algarve who qualified for the competition learned that, by "higher hierarchical decision", they would stay at home . This morning, everything has changed and, after all, there is money for the trip.
The decision of the Directorate-General for Schools (DGest) not to fund the transfer of students from the Algarve to Braga caused a wave of indignation, which quickly spread through social networks. Relatives of students who were going to see frustrated participation in an event for which they worked throughout the school year, in the context of School Sports, denounced the situation and did not hide their displeasure.
The disappointment was even greater considering that the information about the impossibility of making the trip, due to an alleged lack of funds, was transmitted to athletes and guardians, this Wednesday, June 27, at around 21 pm, when the departure to Braga was scheduled for this Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, Francisco Marques, Regional Education Delegate of the Algarve, assured the Sul Informação that the situation “has already been unblocked”, the result of contacts he developed this morning. “We are contacting the teachers and students, in order to organize the match this afternoon”, he assured.
As for the reasons that led teachers, students and parents to have been informed that the Algarve's participation in Nationals of Initiates had been canceled due to lack of funds, Francisco Marques did not provide a justification, referring to further clarification on this matter.
It is certain that the cancellation was not due to lack of planning. O Sul Informação had access to internal documents from the School Sports team of the Algarve Regional Education Delegation, which indicated the transport plan for the more than 200 students involved, the teachers who would accompany them and volunteers, to act as referee/judge in the competition.
In all, six buses were to depart from the Algarve. Even the itineraries and timetable for collecting students from the different schools were defined. Everything to be on this Thursday, June 28, at 17:30 pm, at the Braga Forum. The journey would last until Sunday, July 1st.
In a post published on the social network Facebook, the Algarve School Sports coordination office says that «the region's participation in Nationals of Initiates in Braga was suspended, by superior hierarchical decision».
«The Algarve School Sports team became aware of this decision a few hours before the departure of the Algarve delegation to Braga. The participation of the Algarvian delegation was prepared by the regional team of School Sports for many months, so this news caught us completely unprepared», they assure.
Highlighting “the enormous sadness, disillusionment, disappointment and frustration” they feel, the Regional School Sports team insisted on “demonstrating our total solidarity with all students and their guardians, teachers and school directors”.
In addition to making "very explicit" that, for its part, "everything was done to ensure and ensure that the Algarve was adequately represented, as it has always been done in previous events", the coordination office expressed its "dissatisfaction for all embarrassment caused to students, families and schools, as we fully understand the investment that was made, by all, so that the representation of our Algarve region was made in the most dignified and exemplary way possible» .
Also the president of the Chamber of Faro Rogério Bacalhau was indignant with the DGest's decision and even spoke of “discrimination” in relation to the region.
«Last night I was surprised by a father whose daughter was supposed to leave this morning on buses chartered by the Ministry of Education, who called me to say that he had been informed that, due to lack of funds, the participation of the entire Algarve in the National School Sports Championships», he framed, in statements to the Sul Informação.
«I think it is regrettable, in addition to being discriminatory, as this means that only the Algarve would not participate. From my point of view, this is intolerable”, said Rogério Bacalhau.
This led to the Chamber of Faro to ensure that, at least the students of Faro, were present in Braga. «This morning we spoke with the EVA and we are carrying out a procedure for the 31 kids of the municipality of Faro depart, at 11:00 am, up. Then, on Sunday, we'll go and get them», announced the Farense mayor.
However, and with the reversal of the situation, the mayor from Farense says that the hiring of the service is still under evaluation, although the rental of the bus is not excluded, if so justified.
«I consider these championships the final gala of School Sports. It's a process in which kids from every school across the country participated. School Sport is something that we have all been trying to promote, so that kids can participate more and more», added Rogério Bacalhau, who was for decades a teacher and headed the Board of Directors of the Pinheiro e Rosa Secondary School, from Faro.
Students who would be affected practice the most diverse modalities, from athletics to tennis, going through collective sports such as futsal and handball, among others. “The father who called me had his daughter crying. They worked hard to go to the final gala. There is an atrocious insensitivity here”, accused Rogério Bacalhau, before the situation was unblocked.
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