Liberal party deputy Angelika Da Teresa stated in an interview with Antena 1 that hearings are necessary in the Assembly of the Republic to clarify the contradictory statements made by two leaders concerning the exams.
Contradictions in Statements
Da Teresa emphasized that the request for urgent hearings was made after the Minister of Education unexpectedly stated during the July 21 hearings that there was no report on the pilot project. However, the State Secretary later refuted this, claiming that written information did exist.
The deputy expressed confusion over what assessment was given to the pilot project before the implementation of digital exam correction. She recalled that about a year ago, information was published about the existence of this project, its report, and even the shortcomings that recurred this year. Nevertheless, the minister suddenly claimed that no such report existed.
Minister's Position and Doubts
Angelika Da Teresa finds the statements of the Minister of Education, Fernando Alexandre, particularly difficult to understand, given that this polemic has been ongoing for several days. She noted it was surprising that the minister even brought up this argument in the Assembly of the Republic hearings, as they initially did not want to believe what they heard.
The deputy recalled that after the parliamentary hearings, the Minister of Education stated in an interview with RTP that the government had decided to transition to digital correction after consulting with involved bodies. He reported in the television interview that he had listened to the bodies and, based on the conclusions of EduQA and the National Examination Jury, received instructions regarding the possibility of advancing the project, as well as the existence of written information agreed upon by various organizations.
Demands for Transparency
Despite these statements, Angelika Da Teresa insists on maintaining her doubts. She asked: 'So what is happening? Was there written information? Is there no report? Is there no diagnosis of the pilot project? How are we facing this information at this moment, after numerous requests for clarification?' The deputy considers it essential to hear from both responsible officials.
She added that just yesterday, the National Examination Jury reported changes to over 5300 grades, which, in her opinion, is not insignificant noise but far from solving the problem that requires all clarifications to be provided.
