Classroom classes returned to universities earlier this week and, this Wednesday, Manuel Heitor, minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, was at the University of Algarve, where he was able to witness the «happiness of the students», but also the process of Covid-19 testing, which will last until Sunday.
On the Penha Campus, in Faro, Manuel Heitor started by visiting the gym of the Superior School of Education and Communication, now transformed into a testing center for the academic community.
And it wasn't because of the minister's presence that the tests stopped. Guided by the rector Paulo Águas, the government official greeted the volunteers – students and professors from the Health area at UAlg – but quickly continued the visit.
In a hurried step, he visited two classes of the Communication Design course and then, after brief words exchanged with the teachers, he addressed the students: «so, is everything going well?», he asked.
The answer was obtained with nods of the head and, possibly, smiles, which the masks did not allow to be seen.
But Manuel Heitor believes that the smiles were really hidden, because, in declarations to the Sul Informação, said that, on this visit, he saw a «safe resumption of classes, but with great happiness. I had the pleasure of asking many students and I could see how happy they were starting classes again».
For the minister, "it was important to see the happiness of the students", but the presence at the University of the Algarve also served to "recognise and thank the work of the leaders, teachers, staff and the unprecedented mobilization of students as volunteers for testing" .
According to the official, “there was a very large mobilization of students. There were a huge number of volunteers, far exceeding the needs. And I also want to thank the Portuguese Red Cross for making the tests available».
Still, he told our newspaper, "we have to be very careful."
In the cases of primary and secondary education, the return to school coincided with the vaccination of teachers. But the same did not happen in higher education.
Questioned by Sul Informação, Manuel Heitor explained that «there was the creation of task force to decide vaccination priorities. We know we have to guarantee group immunity as quickly as possible. In the case of higher education, which maintains the mixed regime, contact between teachers and students is smaller than in basic education. It is up to the task force see the availability of vaccines and set priorities”.
For this reason, the minister asks, “there must be a collective effort to realize that it is the elderly who have priority. We cannot be with corporate principles. We are sure that, with the testing that is being done, we have a safe restart of classes», he concluded.
Photos: Nuno Costa | Sul Informação
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