The President of the Regional Government, Miguel Albuquerque, said this morning that Madeira has been applying education methods inspired by Singapore, which he called “the most advanced in the world.” He explained that, before entering government, he and Dr Jorge Carvalho studied the best international education systems and concluded that Singapore’s delivered the strongest results. Speaking during the ‘Autonomy Conferences,’ which were focused on education today, he said the Region has adapted parts of that model with the help of schools and teachers. Among the measures introduced in recent years, he cited support classes for struggling students, digital textbooks, and ‘classrooms of the future’ equipped with robotics, 4D printing, and other new technologies. Albuquerque said these policies are already producing measurable and extremely positive outcomes, with Madeiran students performing well above the national average and reaching levels in Science and Mathematics similar to Denmark. He stressed that the progress also depends on the commitment of teachers and school staff, and not only on government action. He also noted that all pupils from the 5th to the 12th year of schooling already have access to digital textbooks, and said the Regional Secretariat for Education is now reviewing recruitment needs, especially in History, Philosophy, and Portuguese.
