"The School Social Action continues to represent the largest slice of the Investment Plan in the area of Education. Almost half of the Plan is to support families (...). There are about 16 million euros destined for this action, which represents a 23% increase in relation to 2023", said Sofia Ribeiro.

The Regional Secretary for Education, Culture and Sports spoke today in the Social Affairs Committee, within the scope of the hearings to the members of the Government of the Azores (PSD/CDS-PP/PPM) about the new proposal for the Plan and Budget for 2024.

In total, the Government of the Azores allocates "about 54 million euros" to Education, Culture and Sports, according to the government official, adding that the regional executive maintained "the same line" in relation to what it presented in November 2023 "with adaptations resulting from the non-approval of the document for 2024", which forced "the known situation by twelfths".

According to the government official, who responded to the deputies, the rejection, in November, of the 2024 Plan "was harmful to the educational system".

Sofia Ribeiro also said that, in comparison with the previous budget, the document for 2024 has an increase of over 10 million euros in the areas of Education, Culture and Sports.

On the other hand, the regional secretary mentioned that, with respect to Education, the Investment Plan for 2024 "is in the order of 34 million euros, which represents an increase of over five million in comparison with 2023".

"The exclusive investment in public schools represents an increase of about three million", she added.

In the area of Culture, the Government allocates "an investment plan of over seven million euros for this year and the support for cultural agents and the preservation of the whaling heritage is reinforced", the head of the department said.

Sofia Ribeiro also highlighted the increases for training schools, for cultural awards, support for the Azorean heritage, conservation and maintenance of properties under the responsibility of the Regional Directorate of Culture and for archaeological research.

In response to questions raised by the deputies, the Regional Secretary for Education, Culture and Sports said it is not true that there were no investments in public works in the Education sector in the PSD/CDS-PP/PPM coalition Regional Government.

On the other hand, she guaranteed, in response to questions from the deputies, that there are no payments to be regularized in the cultural support and said that, next week, the cultural agents will start to be notified of the support to be allocated.

This is the second time that the Regional Government led by José Manuel Bolieiro has presented a proposal for an Investment Plan for this year, after the previous one was rejected in the Legislative Assembly, in November, with the votes against from PS, BE and IL and the abstention of Chega and PAN, which led the President of the Republic to call for early elections.

The new PSD/CDS-PP/PPM coalition government, resulting from the early legislative elections of February 4, governs the region without an absolute majority in the Azorean parliament and, therefore, needs to negotiate the support of some parties with parliamentary seats to approve its proposals.

The Government Program was approved in March in parliament, with the favorable votes of the three parties that form the executive, the abstention of Chega, IL and PAN and the votes against from PS and BE.

The start of the debate and vote on the proposals for the Plan and Budget for 2024 is scheduled for May 21.

Read Also: Festas do Santo Cristo começam hoje na cidade açoriana de Ponta Delgada (Portuguese version)