The Education Minister responded today in Parliament to criticism from the Socialist Party (PS) over the possibility that world-renowned writer José Saramago may no longer be compulsory reading in the final year of the country's nationwide secondary school curriculum, rejecting any ideological bias on the Government’s part by arguing that the proposed alternative author “is also a militant of the Communist Party”.
In truth, the proposed replacement in the curriculum - Mário de Carvalho - is no longer affiliated with the Communist Party: although he previously worked for it. Later in his life he severed ties, and devoted himself exclusively to literature.
Under the proposed revision of the essential learning framework, Nobel Prize-winning author José Saramago would cease to be mandatory reading in the 12th year, with schools allowed to select alternative writers. Saramago was a member of the Communist Party of Portugal, and in his late years defined himself as a libertarian communist.
The issue was raised during a sectoral debate with the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation, currently taking place in parliament, by Socialist MP Porfírio Silva, who argued that there exists a “historical pattern on the Portuguese right of hostility towards the writer José Saramago”.
Referring to the revised preliminary version of the essential learning guidelines, currently under public consultation since 27th March, the MP said the possibility of Portuguese-language teachers choosing between two works by Saramago and a novel by Mário de Carvalho had prompted concern.
“The PS does not wish to turn a curricular decision into a political one. It must remain pedagogical and educational,” Porfírio Silva said, requesting assurances that “there will be no ideological bias in compulsory school reading”. In response, Education, Science and Innovation Minister Fernando Alexandre said the Socialist Party could “rest easy”.
At present, two Saramago novels, Memorial do Convento (Baltasar and Blimunda) and O Ano da Morte de Ricardo Reis (The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis), are listed as options within the novel category. The preliminary draft would introduce a third option: Um Deus Passeando pela Brisa da Tarde (A God Strolling in the Cool of the Evening) by Mário de Carvalho.
The Education Minister had already addressed the controversy once on Monday, stressing that the public consultation on the essential learning guidelines is “entirely technical” and that no final decision has yet been taken.
On that occasion, Fernando Alexandre emphasised that “José Saramago is, obviously, a writer of reference” and acknowledged that reading him, alongside other national authors, should remain compulsory, noting that Portugal possesses “many great writers”.
Source material: JN
