Government guarantees start of the school year on September 15th throughout the country, including São Vicente

The governor gave this assurance in an interview with Inforpress, noting that, despite the state of calamity also declared in Santo Antão and São Nicolau, all preparations are underway and duly planned.

However, he admitted that the opening of schools could be affected by possible heavy rains that could cause further damage to school infrastructure.

"From a planning standpoint, yes, we ensure that everything is well planned, with the aim of starting classes on September 15th," he stated.

Amadeu Cruz explained that, in the case of São Vicente, an emergency action plan was drawn up to create minimum conditions for welcoming students "with dignity and some normality," and interventions are already underway in the affected schools.

The official opening ceremony of the academic year, initially scheduled for São Nicolau, will take place in São Miguel, on the island of Santiago, due to the calamity situation in Barlavento.

Regarding school rehabilitation, the minister reported that maintenance, rehabilitation and modernization work is underway on kitchens and bathrooms on several islands, and that it was also necessary to develop a contingency plan for the most affected islands.

As for school textbooks, Amadeu Cruz assured that books up to the 9th grade are already available, those for the 10th grade will arrive in stationery stores starting September 15th, and those for the 11th grade can now be accessed online.

Regarding school textbooks, Amadeu Cruz assured that books up to the 9th grade are already available, those for the 10th grade will arrive in stationery stores starting September 15th, and those for the 11th grade have been available online since the beginning of the month. School cafeterias will operate as normal, with distribution logistics already underway.

Regarding teacher placement, the ministry is finalizing contract renewals and some specific transfers.

The greatest difficulties in placing teachers continue to be in the areas of Mathematics, ICT, Physics and Chemistry, but solutions have been found, including the hiring of professionals from related fields.

The minister added that the government provides scholarships for students in teacher training courses and works with the University of Cape Verde, the Catholic University, the Lusófona University and other institutions to meet needs in these areas.

"We believe we have the conditions to have all the teachers," he said, emphasizing the need to continue training teachers in these disciplines, in collaboration with universities.

The school calendar stipulates that classes will start on September 15 and end on June 26, 2026, followed by national assessments and tests.

The education system has around 7,500 teachers and 130,000 students, according to the government official.