Directors expect ministry indications on closing schools

Oschool directors are waiting for information from the Ministry of Education, but they are already warning families that on Wednesday the schools will be closed due to the worsening of bad weather.

“ We have heard of the decision to close schools through the Minister of Internal Administration (MAI), which we think is normal, but now we are waiting for the Ministry of Education to send us more information. Parents are calling schools to see if we confirm the news,” Lusa Filinto Lima, president of the National Association of Group Directors and Public Schools (ANDAEP).

The Minister of Internal Administration, Luís Neves, announced today that all schools will be closed on Wednesday, calling on the population to stay home due to the worsening of time on Wednesday, especially in the regions of Lisbon, Leiria, Setúbal, Beja and Faro.

“ It is a precautionary, preventive measure, even taking into account the safety of all. There must also be cooperation between schools, because roads must be clear for priority vehicles to move. Many parents will not be able to go to work tomorrow [Wednesday] and what is asked is that the bosses have common sense ", said Filinto Lima.

The school directors ask the Ministry of Education to provide “supplementary information quickly”, and it is certain that neither teachers nor employees will be in schools on Wednesday.

If schools are only closed one day, Filinto Lima believes that it will not be necessary to activate the model of distance learning, even because it will be “easy to recover the subjects”.

However, it must be realized whether bad weather will result in school closure for more days or whether it will affect school buildings.

Lusa also questioned the Ministry of Education on the guidelines it intends to send to educational institutions and is awaiting a response.

The IPMA issued red warning, the most serious of a three-level system, for the districts of Faro, Setúbal and Beja for strong wind between 09:00 and 21:00 Wednesday. For Évora, Santarém, Lisbon, Leiria and Portalegre the notice is valid between 12:00 and 9:00 p.m.

The IPMA points to gusts of wind up to 120 kilometers/hour, reaching 140 in the most exposed locations.