Professor Carlos Neto proposes play-based start to school year

Professor Carlos Neto, an expert in human motricity, is advocating for a change in the educational approach as the new school year begins for 1.6 million students in Portugal. He suggests that children should spend the first two or three weeks of classes playing to facilitate social interaction and relationship building.

Neto criticizes the current educational model for being overly structured and sedentary, describing excessive sitting time as ‘the greatest plague of this century’. He argues that learning is more effective when it involves movement and that schools should move beyond the traditional classroom setting to improve concentration, creativity, and decision-making skills.

Additionally, the professor is calling for a ‘National Plan for the Rehabilitation of School Spaces’. He notes that many school playgrounds are currently ‘plasticized’ environments with little stimulation. He proposes that spaces be redesigned to suit different ages, such as providing natural environments with trees, sand, and stones for younger children.