On Tuesday, the National Federation of Education (FNE) sent a letter to the Ministry of Education asking them to cancel grade 9 tests and exams in digital format.
According to the FNE, conducting assessment tests for students in the 2nd, 5th and 8th years “jeopardizes the stability” of the educational system, taking into account the “various restrictions” that affect both students and teachers.
In addition to shortages of computers, technical support and internet problems, “students and teachers are being harmed through increased stress and anxiety, inequality of opportunity and lost learning time,” FNE said in a statement sent to the editor today.
FNE’s position is in the same direction as other trade union structures, such as Fenprof, or representatives of school principals and those in charge of education, who have expressed concern about the lack of conditions for conducting digital tests, calling for a return to paper tests.
“FNE therefore proposes the abolition of computer-based assessment tests and paper-based assessments to ensure equal opportunity for all students as we believe that the abolition of computer-based assessment tests is a better measure, more reasonable at this time,” they said.
The gradual increase in faulty equipment and the danger for students without computers to take tests that start in about two months have forced the Ministry of Education to allocate 6.5 million euros in the budget for the purchase of new computers.
The measure was approved last Thursday at a meeting of the Council of Ministers, but school principals and teachers believe the funds will not arrive in time for the tests because schools must comply with a number of preliminary procedures related to government accounting standards. .
In recent months, there have been constant warnings about the lack of conditions for taking tests in digital format: in addition to thousands of damaged equipment, many schools are experiencing problems with the Internet network and lack of IT specialists.
Invariably, IT teachers are the ones who end up providing support and solving problems, but these teachers have announced that they will go on strike to maintain equipment and provide technical support during digital tests.
This week, Fenprof also again defended how the administration of national tests in digital media is an additional factor in deepening inequality between students: “Some deal with digital media on a daily basis, while others belong to families who do not have the economic means to purchase a computer. or a reliable and secure connection to the Internet.”
Assessment tests aimed at 2nd, 5th and 8th year students will begin in May, followed by national exams for 9th year students next month.
The Ministry of Education has decided to implement a project to dematerialize national tests and examinations, starting gradually with assessment tests.
This year, the project covers assessment tests and national exams in Year 9, and next year it will be the turn of Year 11 and 12 students to also take national exams, which serve as digital access to higher education. format.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.