PUPILS AT a school in Boliqueime had a surprise visit last Thursday from Portugal’s first lady, Maria Cavaco Silva.
Her visit coincided with the EB 1,2,3 Prof. Dr. Aníbal Cavaco Silva de Boliqueime school’s reading week to promote literature and encourage children to read more.
The first lady read the works of her favourite poet and novelist, Sophia de Mello Breyner Anderson, to students from the ninth grade. She said it was sad that young people today do not read as much as previous generations, but that this could be due to the fact that there are many other leisure options available to them than ever before.
The students asked questions about books and the first lady’s reading habits. She said that she reads all types of books, including the “trashy” ones.
The first lady chose to visit this particular school because her husband, President Aníbal Cavaco Silva, was brought up in Boliqueime and is the school’s namesake.
During reading week, hundreds of schools throughout the country organise book fairs, debates, poetry readings, exhibitions and competitions in an effort to stimulate the enjoyment of reading, as part of the National Reading Plan.
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