Twenty-one students from two 5th grade classes in the municipality of Vila Nova de Famalicão are, in this school year 2022/2023, attending the specialised artistic teaching of Drama, in a combined regime, in a partnership between the City Hall, ACE- School of Arts and the school groups of Pedome and Ribeirão.
After the Music and Dance, the famalicense municipality now advances with the specialized artistic teaching of Theatre, responding to students of public education in the county who seek training in this area, articulating it with regular education.
This Tuesday, day 27, in the presentation of the Basic Course of Theatre in Pedome Basic School, the mayor of the municipality praised the "enormous contribution" of artistic education in enriching the educational project. "We have students more motivated and acquiring new skills through other forms of learning and knowledge", said Mário Passos.
An aspect also highlighted by the ACE course coordinator, Sílvia Correia. "This is a change of paradigm, because parents also accept, want and understand the added value that their children can have over a period of five years, from the 5th to the 9th grade, attending subjects that will provide technical and artistic knowledge, but also consolidate subjects and make the curriculum more cohesive", she said.
The Basic Drama Course currently occupies six hours of the students' weekly timetable, with the disciplines of interpretation, improvisation and movement and vocal technique.
The promotion of artistic education and combined teaching continues to be one of the major concerns of Famalicão City Hall.
To the Music courses, promoted by CCM- Centro de Cultura Musical and by ArtEduca, the City Hall has also added the Dance teaching, in partnership with Andança, and has now started the combined teaching of Drama in two classes of the Pedome and Ribeirão school groups.
Currently, the combined teaching in Famalicão covers nearly half a thousand students, representing a municipal investment of over 100 thousand euros per year.
About the amount allocated to combined teaching, Mário Passos also regretted that the Portuguese state does not provide the necessary financial means "so that it is effective and so that all students can make their choice. I will make every effort so that the combined teaching of Theatre and Dance are also conveniently supported and financed by the Ministry", he added.