Prime Minister António Costa announced this afternoon that distanced learning will continue throughout the third period, which will begin on April 14.

Teaching will have the support of daily broadcasts on the RTP Memória channel starting on April 20, only with content from the 1st year onwards.

The assessment will be made in each school group, by the teachers, who have access to the educational path of each student, with the possibility for both the approval and retention of students.

There will be no assessment tests or year 9 exams.

The Prime Minister also announced that the special support regime for families with children under 12 years old will therefore be maintained.

When it comes to years 11 and 12 students, the conditions for returning to face-to-face classes will be assessed during the month of May, without prejudice to a plan B of maintaining distanced learning if the pandemic requires it.

António Costa defended that “it is particularly important” that it is still possible to “resume classroom teaching activities, especially since the diversity of subjects is such that one cannot resort to the support of television broadcasting”.

“We will therefore work on two plans. The one we prefer, to be able to partially resume face to face classes for years 11 and 12 during the month of May, without excluding, as a plan B, having to continue the academic year exclusively with distanced learning, if the evolution of the pandemic requires it. In any case, to ensure greater social distance, less time spent in school and better hygiene, face to face classroom activities will always be very limited “, he said.

Even if face to face classes return, these will always be limited to students from years 11 and 12; for those in year 10, distanced classes will remain via digital media.

Face-to-face classes will also be limited to 22 subjects that require exams for access to Higher Education. Lessons may continue until June 26th.

Exams will only be carried out for subjects of access to Higher Education, the other marks will be given in school.

Activities in kindergartens will only be resumed when the rules for social distancing are raised. The RTP2 channel will have content and activities for pre-school education.

Day-care centers will remain closed, and the monthly payment will have to be agreed upon between the parents and the owners of the establishments.

Professional and artistic teaching will have to adapt their assessments, “most likely from a distance and from home”, said António Costa.