In the 2021-2022 school year, all compulsory education students (1st to 12th grade) in public and private schools with association contracts will once again receive free textbooks. Students from private schools without an association contract remain outside the free and reuse of school textbooks program.
What can I do to receive free textbooks?
The free allocation of textbooks is carried out by the MEGA platform, through a system of vouchers (vouchers). Each voucher includes a unique code and has the corresponding manual indicated.
To access the vouchers, the parent must register on the MEGA platform. You can do it in two ways: on the Edu Rede Escolar mobile app or on www.manuaisescolares.pt.
See in this video how to register on the MEGA platform. Registration is free.
After registering on the MEGA platform, vouchers associated with the student's guardian's Tax Identification Number (NIF) are issued. If vouchers are awarded for collecting new free textbooks, they must be presented in one of the participating bookstores. If vouchers are awarded for collecting free used textbooks, they must be handed over to the school.
When are vouchers awarded?
The dates for granting vouchers for collecting free textbooks for the 2021-2022 school year are as follows:
From August 16th
2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 9th, 11th and 12th grade students.
From the 23rd of August
1st, 5th, 7th and 10th grade students.
When vouchers are available on the platform, or in the app, the guardian is notified by email. Alternatively, the guardian can check, on the platform itself, in their personal area, whether vouchers have already been issued. Simply click Schools with vouchers and select the student's grouping and school. If the school does not show up, it means that vouchers have not yet been issued.
Do vouchers include activity books and cards?
No. Vouchers are only issued for textbooks. The activity notebooks and worksheets, as well as the other components of the so-called teaching packs, must be purchased by the families.
Do free textbooks have to be returned to school?
Yes. Textbooks distributed free of charge must be returned to the school by the guardian, in good condition, for re-use in the following school year.
If the guardian returns the free textbooks in poor condition, other than as a result of normal use, he is obliged to pay for them or, if he does not do so, he loses the right to them in the following school year. Note that each manual is considered individually, that is, if the manual of only one subject is not delivered in good condition, the right to receive the manual of that subject in the following academic year is only lost.
There is also the possibility of paying the full value of textbooks delivered in poor condition, thus being entitled to receive them in the next school year.
When must they be returned?
Textbooks distributed free of charge must be returned at the end of the academic year or at the end of the study cycle, in the case of subjects subject to examination. In the latter case, the manuals must be delivered three days after taking the respective exam.
In case of retention (lead), the student can keep the manuals relating to the cycle or subjects in question until their conclusion.
Are there any exceptions?
Yes. Students in the 1st cycle of basic education do not have to return free textbooks. At this level of education, new free textbooks are distributed.
Who checks the status of returned manuals?
It is up to schools to assess the state of conservation and sort the free textbooks returned.
Text taken from montepio.org
