Dozens of Azores pupils still without digital textbooks

Some dozens of pupils in the Azores still have no access to their digital textbooks a month and a half after the school year began, the regional director of Education, Rui Espínola, confirmed. He said the situation differs from school to school and that some islands had no shortfall.

Azorean schools introduced digital textbooks in the 2022/2023 school year, in a project funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR). Until last school year each school contracted its own textbooks. This year, with the PRR over, the regional government centralised the purchase through an international tender for all schools.

The government bought fewer licences than needed, so several pupils have tablets but cannot open their textbooks. According to Rui Espínola, the shortfall is in the 6th, 7th and 9th years and comes from transfers and pupils repeating a year, because needs were surveyed in May. On 28 May the government had authorised spending of 4.9 million euros on digital textbooks.

The Council of Government approved a complementary purchase on 15 October. It still needs a public procurement procedure and clearance from the Court of Auditors. Rui Espínola gave no date for ending the shortfall and said pupils are not without teaching resources. Some parents say their children have had difficulty studying, and he said he would look into the cases they report.

No decision has been taken on whether digital textbooks continue next school year. The Regional Education System Coordinating Council meets on 2 November to discuss it.

acorianooriental.pt

radioatlantida.net