AD provides for the return of association contracts in the preschool

AD’s second debate in which Nuno Melo debates against Isabel Mendes Lopes Livre Parliamentary Leader, the number two of the coalition is already in front of his opponent with the AD electoral program under his arm.

In the last few hours, which exceeded the time of the closing of this edition, the hard centers of the PSD and CDs were still working on the content of the program update that AD will lead to votes in the June 18 elections.

Considering that one third of the program has been fulfilled in the last 11 months of governance and in view of the new national and above international circumstances, the teams of the two parties seek to present feasible goals, betting on the scenario that they will continue to ahead of the country’s destinations.

After this Thursday, the Public Finance Council, led by Nazaré da Costa Cabral, warned the risk of deficit return as early as 2026, and has reviewed the projection of growth for next year, the accounts inside AD are very cautious. To the risks that must be cautious before making electoral promises, the tariff war is joined by the United States, which has already led the government to announce aid of around 10 billion euros to help the Portuguese economy.

On the day in São Caetano to Lapa the teams closed the electoral program, Montenegro lowered the expectations in a ‘adult in the room’, noting that the risks are high and that if there is no responsibility one can return to the time of the bankruptcy. It was no coincidence, AD_Vai’s program continues to bet on the fall of taxes, but the bet will be more discursive than impressive. The threats on the horizon do not advise risky adventures. Anyway, the fall of taxes will be the mark of Luís Montenegro’s program again for these elections.

Not on purpose the bet on defense, protected by coalition partner Nuno Melo, leader of the CDS, will also be one of the strong bets on the AD version 2025 program. Here also the new international context justifies the priority given to the subject. If Montenegro and Melo return to the government the coalition will promise a budgetary reinforcement in the defense area, that was accentuated on Thursday by the prime minister who announced at the end of the Council of Ministers that Portugal will anticipate the fulfillment of the goal of spending 2% of GDP on defense expenses. The already anticipated goal was scheduled for 2029, now the idea is that it is fulfilled earlier.

Return Association Contracts

After recent years has been verified a sharp regression in the association contracts that the state had as a series of social and private institutions in the area of ​​education, the lack of vacancies for 12,000 preschool children dictates the return of these contracts.

In the chapter ensure day care centers and preschool for all children, it is explained that the way found to ensure it is « Contractualizing with private and social institutions 12 thousand new vacancies in day care centers and (above all) in the preschool for territories in which the needs and with a model of incentives to open new rooms were identified. ». The measure is not calendar, but AD source guarantees the Sunrise That the goal is to advance the faster with association contracts if the coalition earns elections and forming government. Greater Lisbon, Setúbal Peninsula, Algarve, Leiria and Porto Metropolitan Area are the areas of the country where there are the highest deficiencies of pre-school vacancies.

In the state budget debate for 2025, the Minister of Education, Fernando Alexandre had already identified and quantified the absence of vacancies, which at the time attributed to the otherwise owned by the previous holders of the Education Folder, « The problem is because the vacancies that were in the Happy Nursery at the time of the preschool were not cautious. »mentioned.

In the current budget is expected to increase the response in the public network in 170 rooms, but the new rooms fall far below the needs. Now AD takes a step forward in the program that presents the elections and proposes to cover the needs of the public network using the private and the social sector.

According to sources linked to the education sector, the promise contained in the program will streamline in many institutions the opening of new rooms created to respond to state needs.

In the last socialist government the cancellation of association contracts with colleges across the country generated enormous contestation in the social and private sector, even leading many of these institutions to close doors. At the time, Alexandra Leitão, Secretary of State for Education, was the face of the government that assumed the end of these contracts that over decades were complementary to the public offering of education.

The debate on the return of association contracts has been a topic of great discord since 2015. Now with this proposal contained in the AD program, the theme promises to come again to speak, with accusations of privileging the private sector over the public sector.