EPM director to lead Portuguese school in Luanda

Acácio de Brito

Ac·cio de Brito, the current director of the Portuguese School of Macau (EPM), is leaving the local institution to head the Portuguese School of Luanda (EPL) in Angola.

The announcement was made yesterday morning by Portuguese Minister of Education, Science and Innovation Fernando Alexandre during events held to commemorate June 10 – Portugal Day, officially Portugal, Camões, and Portuguese Communities Day in Macau.

Alexandre was the representative appointed by the Portuguese government to take part in yesterday’s celebration, which included the traditional flag-hoisting ceremony at the Consulate-General of Portugal in Macau, followed by a pilgrimage to the Camões Grotto in Camões Garden.

It was at that moment that Alexandre announced that de Brito would leave EPM to take on a new role at EPL, by invitation of the Portuguese Minister of Education, Science and Innovation.

The news came as a surprise, as de Brito’s continuation at the helm of EPM had been announced just two weeks earlier and was expected to last another three years.

Alexandre noted that, despite the Board of Directors’ interest in de Brito’s continuity, his reappointment had not yet been confirmed.

In comments to local public broadcaster TDM, Alexandre said the school is “currently running smoothly after some turbulence in the beginning.”

The minister also stated that the Portuguese government, and his ministry in particular, are committed to continuing to support the local school, particularly to ensure that teachers can meet the growing number of students. He added that the ministry would support the school, including by approving requests for the mobility of teachers from Portugal to Macau.

For the time being, no one has been named to replace de Brito.

The EPM’s parents’ association has only made a brief comment, expressing that they were shocked by the news.