Portuguese authorities to audit all overseas schools

The Minister of Education, Science, and Innovation of Portugal, Fernando Alexandre

The Minister of Education, Science, and Innovation of Portugal (MECI), Fernando Alexandre, has asked the Court of Auditors for an audit on the management of all Portuguese Schools operating in the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), including Macau, the office from the Minister has confirmed to the Times. According to a written response to a Times inquiry, the audit was requested May 26 and will involve schools in Cape Verde, Angola, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, Timor-Leste, and Macau.

The office also confirmed there was a previous complaint filed with the Ministry regarding the Portuguese School of Dili (Timor-Leste) and the management of Acácio de Brito, the current director of the Portuguese School of Macau (EPM).

According to the Alexandre’s office, the Inspectorate-General of Education and Science had previously conducted an inspection following the complaint to the Portuguese School of Dili. However, this did not produce conclusive results, “which led the previous government to order the case to be archived,” the Minister’s office said.

As the Times reported yesterday, the Alexandre’s office has also recently notified the management of the EPM it will not provide additional teachers to replace those who may be laid off in the future.

“In the meantime, given the lack of teachers in Portugal, MECI has already noted teachers will not be made available to replace those the school management may dismiss,” Alexandre was quoted as saying to the Portuguese language newspaper Hoje Macau.

The office of the minister also admitted to communicating with the school board, seeking additional clarification and information on the dismissal of over a dozen teachers from the school at the end of the academic year.

As the Times has reported earlier, a letter issued by the local section of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) has called for the resignation of the Consul-General of Portugal in Macau, Alexandre Leitão, amid controversies surrounding the dismissal of EPM teachers.

The letter includes allegations and suggestions about teachers who have been suggested to have been hired to replace those dismissed as “close friends and the girlfriend” of the EPM director, calling on the director to return to Portugal before those “intimately connected to him” arrive in Macau to teach in the school.

Over the weekend, the consul general defended the school against allegations regarding internal hiring and restructuring decisions.

Speaking to the public broadcaster TDM, Leitão argued there is a mandate for the Portuguese School of Macau Foundation, stating, “there are corporate bodies, and they have the responsibility to make decisions and they are responsible for the results. When we are given the opportunity to analyze the results, we will be available to ask questions, query the results, and make any assessment that needs to be made,” Leitão said.

Fernando Alexandre took office as the new MECI April 2 this year, after a government restructure in Portugal following the legislative election results on March 10.