The history of teaching in Machico presents contexts and identities that reveal the conditions for the growth of institutions and the role of all those who contributed to its achievement and successes. Here, in a very brief note, the intention is only to show the embryo and the evolutionary path of EBSM.
We were in the 70s of the 20th century and Portugal was experiencing its “Marcelist spring”, marked by the desire for renewal. The education system has not escaped this progressive wave. It was necessary to restructure school curricula and teaching methods and adapt them to the new currents of the so-called active school. The so-called Veiga Simão reform became operational, named after the then minister of education, within which secondary school preparatory schools are created (Ordinance No. 562/72).
In 1972, at Sítio do Paraíso in Machico, the construction of a building for the preparatory school was completed, to which the name of the first captain of the grantee of this captaincy is attributed at the time of four hundred. Machico now has its official preparatory school, the Tristão Vaz Teixeira Preparatory School. The School starts operating in the academic year 1972/73 with a curriculum equivalent to the current 2nd cycle, at the time under the designation of 1st and 2nd years of the preparatory cycle. The staff consisted of ten teachers, four administrative and four assistants.
The name given to the school would last until 1980, the year it saw its name changed to Escola Preparatória de Machico as a result of ordinance 608/79 which determined that the preparatory schools in Portugal were to be designated by the name of the location where they were located .
The publication of the first Basic Law of the Educational System, in 1973, foresees the merger of high school and technical education. The new perspectives of teaching in Portugal resulting from the April 1974 Revolution determined this alliance and high schools and technical schools are being transformed into secondary schools. In 1975, technical education disappeared and the unified secondary education that will last until 1981 is put into practice, consisting of two courses: the general course (7th, 8th and 9th years) and the complementary course (10th and 11th years). As a result of these changes, official secondary schools will start functioning where they did not exist (decree-law nº260B / 75). Therefore, in 1976, Machico assisted in the creation of a secondary school, the Escola Secundária de Machico,headquartered at Rua do Ribeirinho, with a general course operating in precarious facilities, containers adapted to the educational function that the population soon called “trains”. In 1986, there was a reorganization of teaching with the publication of the current Basic Law of the Educational System and the previous general course of secondary education became the 3rd cycle of the new basic education. In 1989, with the objective of expanding the educational offer beyond the 3rd cycle, the school’s proposal for integrating a secondary course to pursue studies (already configured as an autonomous unit), is materialized. In the academic year 1989/90, Secondary Education becomes part of the curricular offer of this establishment. The growth of the student population will motivate the use of other spaces scattered around the village of Machico that will work as attachments to the school. In 1997, the Secondary School would be provided with new facilities, a building built from scratch, to the north and adjacent to the Preparatory School of Machico, on the Paraíso site. Given the proximity of the two schools and for reasons of management and profitability of resources, ordinance 74/98 legally extinguishes both schools and, simultaneously, creates the Basic and Secondary School of Machico – our school.
Physical Resources
EBSM consists of two blocks. A north block and a south block. In the north block are located the various services of the school, such as: a reprography for teachers and students, a stationery, administrative services, the executive council office, the educational community council office, the canteen, two bars with a room a meeting room, a room for class directors, a service room for parents and guardians, several offices for intermediate management bodies and a session room.
In addition to the spaces mentioned here, there are also general classrooms and specific classrooms: computer rooms, biology labs, physicochemical labs, electronics applications lab, technological education and visual education rooms. Also in the south block there are general classrooms and specific classrooms: science and physicochemical laboratories, rooms for visual education, technology and music education, computer rooms, study rooms, work offices (psychology, skills personal and social services, student support, legal advice), two bars with social rooms. In this building there is also the assistance of the 2nd and 3rd cycle.
The space where the school library is located has been renovated and today it has a reading room, a study room, a computer room, two work and storage rooms, this in addition to an auditorium for large groups. .
For the development of physical education and school sports classes, the school has a pavilion and a swimming pool, the management of which is shared with the Regional Directorate for Youth and Sports. There are also two camps integrated in the school facilities and a larger municipal camp, adjacent to the swimming pool, with open use during the day by the students of this establishment.